


Spoils of War

by Tarkleigh



Category: Sons of Anarchy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Lots of people get a piece of Juice, M/M, Rape/Non-con Elements
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-30
Updated: 2015-09-10
Packaged: 2018-03-26 11:33:57
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 9
Words: 45,857
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3849412
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tarkleigh/pseuds/Tarkleigh
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After years as little more than a slave to the Mayans, Juice thought he had finally found some peace in his relationship with Alvarez's son Esai. But then Esai is killed and Juice is given as a gift to the Mayans biggest rival: The Sons of Anarchy.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Spoils of War

**Author's Note:**

> This story is set directly after "Hell Followed" but can be read without too much of the episode in mind. No changes in canon except that Juice isn't a Sons member. There will be a lot of pairings in the story but the most important one will be Jax/Juice. Enjoy.

Juice sat on the bed in his room at the Mayan clubhouse and stared at the photograph in his hands. Esai was gone. It had been a day and Juice still hadn't fully processed the information. How did that happen? Esai had been so young, so full of strength. Maybe not the sharpest tool in the shed but the same could be said about many other Mayans who were still very much alive. Juice didn't know exactly what had happened to Esai just that it involved the Sons of Anarchy, a rival MC based in a small town nearby. Over his years with the Mayans, Juice had heard quite a few things about the Sons, none of them good. The Mayans really hated these guys but they seemed to give them a good run for their money. When Alvarez had broken the news about Esai yesterday everyone had been solemn and sympathetic but overall Juice had expected more shock and grief. Esai had been the president’s son, after all, one would think that the news of him being killed by a hated rival MC would cause outrage. But the only person who had fallen apart at the news had been him, even Alvarez hadn't seemed too upset. Juice had spent the night alone in this room, thankful that the members had left him alone for once. Now it was morning, probably close to noon but Juice had not moved much. He should eat something and probably get some more sleep but he couldn't bring himself to. Given the circumstances, they were lucky he was wearing boxers.

A knock on the door startled him. Weird, usually they never knocked. "Come in," he croaked – he would prefer to be alone but knew that refusing wasn’t an option.

The door opened and Alvarez walked in. "How are you feeling, ese?"

"Bad," Juice said, looking back down to the photograph.

Alvarez moved closer and gently took the picture from him. It didn't show Juice – he was pretty sure no pictures in the clubhouse did – but Esai, smiling in his cut. It wasn't more than a few months old. "He was so happy that day."

"What happened to him?" Juice asked.

"He screwed up a hit," Alvarez said. "There were consequences. That is all that you need to know."

Of course. Nobody ever told him anything important. Not Juice, the lackey, the punching ball, the slave in all but name. Esai had been the only one who actually treated him like a human being – sometimes at least – and now he was gone. "I miss him."

"I know you do", Alvarez said. "I might not have approved at first but I think you were good for my boy. At least better than the whores he usually frequented. Shame it had to end like that." Juice paused and looked up in surprise. Alvarez was looking at him with something that could be fondness. "Come here."

Juice moved closer and Alvarez kissed him. Juice wanted to move away but he could not refuse the president. They had not done that since he had gotten serious with Esai but apparently this respite had ended now. "Alvarez…"

"Shh, Juice. I just want to feel what you gave Esai. And I only need your mouth today. Out of respect for my son."

Juice thought this was a strange way to show respect but what did he know about Hispanic MC concepts of honor or family? So he watched impassively while Alvarez undressed himself and sat down on the bed. Juice kept his underwear on for the moment, Alvarez would tell him if he wanted to see more. The president lay on his back in the very same bed Juice and Esai had so often shared. Juice had enjoyed these times together, at least as much as he could enjoy something like this. "Get on top of me," Alvarez said.

Juice did what he was told and moved into position. Alvarez hard cock was already pressing against his stomach and Juice mentally steeled himself. This was so fucked up. Sucking off your dead boyfriend's – was that what Esai had been? – father had to be a new low for him. But it wasn't his choice so he probably shouldn’t care. To his surprise, Alvarez kissed him, hard and aggressively. The president’s hand found his crotch and caressed the currently still limp dick through the boxers. "Even this way it is big," he said. "Pity you never get to use it, eh Juice?"

"I don’t mind," Juice said tonelessly. "I just do what is asked of me."

"And that's good." Alvarez pushed Juice's head down towards his crotch. "Now make me come."

Juice gently kissed his way down – extra effort to keep his president happy –, and gently took Alvarez in his mouth. The president wasn't as big as his son had been so Juice easily swallowed it down and got busy. It didn't take long to take care of Alvarez, he knew how to please the guy – and most other Mayan members – by now. As usual, the older man finished in his mouth and Juice swallowed dutifully. He had never gotten used to the taste but knew it was pointless to resist. It was just expected of him to take what they offered. "Damn. No wonder Esai was all over you. You know, when my boys first started fucking you, I thought it was degenerate and perverted. I wanted to tell them to stop. But when I tried it myself, I knew they were right. You are a great lay."

"Thanks," Juice said automatically. He didn't think getting used so often that you were getting good at it was something to be proud of but he knew better than to contradict Alvarez.

"Pity it has to end," Alvarez said. "I think I will miss it."

"What do you mean?" Juice asked.

"You are leaving tonight."

Hope suddenly flooded Juice. "You are cutting me loose?"

Alvarez smiled. "Oh no, ese, we still need you. Just not here."

"I don't understand."

"You will soon." He stood up and got dressed again. "I will tell the others to say their goodbyes as well. I told them to show respect for Esai as well, so it should be light duty. Tell me if anyone gives you trouble. You will be gone soon so you don't have to be afraid of them anymore. Make sure you shower once they are done. I want you pretty for tonight."

Juice did not know what to make out all this but he wasn’t too worried at the moment. He figured it could only go up from here.

*   *   *   *   *

 Jax took some time off from his duties this day to meet Tara in Saint Thomas. She still seemed pretty shaken by the Kohn situation and he wanted make sure she was alright – for both their sakes. He didn't need relationship troubles on top of everything else, Opie had enough of these to keep the whole club occupied. The VP found Tara in her office, brooding over some files. "Hey," he said.

"Hey," she said, suddenly alarmed. "Is somebody hurt? Do you need me to come?"

"Everyone is fine," Jax said, "Can we talk?"

"Sure, but close the door."

Jax smiled. As if she had to tell him how to keep a secret. He probably told more lies in a month than she had in her entire live. "Thank you for patching up the Irishman. It really helped us keeping our relationships intact."

"I can't really let a guy bleed out just because he is a criminal."

The VP chuckled. "Good to know. I will remind you of it, should you ever have to stich me up." When she didn't laugh he grew serious again. "Are you okay? Is the Kohn thing still bothering you?"

"Of course it is, Jax! It was just a day ago! How could I forget it that soon? Did you move on already?"

"No," Jax said. It wasn't strictly true – he had no remorse at all – but he guessed Tara needed to see a softer side of him. Telling her the cold hard truth – that he couldn't afford to get sentimental over every dead body – would probably shake her up even more. "But I know I made the right choice. It was you or him and we both know this wasn't a choice at all. Besides, you did nothing wrong. I pulled the trigger, the death is on me."

"I helped you cover it up," Tara said. "Maybe I even caused it."

"Because you dated Kohn? Bad dating decisions aren’t a crime, Tara."

"No, because I came back." The surgeon said, now a slightly haunted look in her eyes. "I came back to Charming because this was the only place I felt safe from him. Because I knew you would have my back, no matter what. Because I knew deep down that you would protect me whatever the cost."

Jax felt his heart contract. "What does this mean? Was this all a show? Means to an end?"

"No!" Tara immediately said. "I meant everything I said and did. I think I manipulated myself more than anyone else. So I could go through with a murder."

"Relax Tara. I told you, this is all one me."

"And the Irish guy, is this also on you?" Tara asked. "Or am I responsible for that one?"

This made no sense to Jax. "What do you mean? You helped him."

"Yes, I stitched up a guy, hiding evidence of an attempted murder. Who exactly was he? Your gun supplier?"

"Tara, you know I can't talk to you about that," Jax said. "Who he is isn’t important anyway. You saved a man's life, that all that matters."

"And I took one the day before," Tara said. She sighed. "Jesus, last week I thought I wouldn't even be capable of something like that. And now look at me. I killed a man and am getting deeper into trouble the longer I am with you."

Jax was now quickly losing his patience. "Look, I get that this is completely new to you, but you are beating yourself up over nothing. I promise you nothing will blow back on you, neither Kohn nor the club business. If anything happens, I will take the fall."

"Is that supposed to make me feel better? How do you think I would feel, if helping me with Kohn sent you to prison for decades?"

Jax smiled thinly. "Highly unlikely. There are a lot of other things I could go to prison for."

"Is that how it is going to end?" Tara asked. "You going to prison?"

"I don't know Tara," Jax said honestly. "It's possible. I might end well, though. Or with me being dead."

"I don't know if I can do that, Jax," Tara said. "I love you but this life is more than I can take. I don't remember it being that grim."

"We were young then," Jax said. "Now I am deeper in the club than before. Being at my side will pull you deeper as well. You need to know that."

"I...I need some time to think about it. Can I call you?"

"Sure," Jax said not that he had a choice. What could he say instead? Tell her to get her shit together now or get lost? This likely wouldn't help. "I have to get back to TM. I will see you around."

He left, not caring if she thought he was being rude. On his way out he started to boil internally. He could not really blame her for being upset but this was starting to get ridiculous. What else was he supposed to do? The way she was beating herself up you would think she had put the bullet into Kohn’s head herself. But maybe he was stupid for trying to get back together with her in the first place. He was chasing something that was gone and for good reason. He wasn’t a teenager anymore but the SAMCRO VP and Tara would have to be strong if she wanted to be at his side. Maybe she couldn't do it. That would be a disappointment, especially so close after all the trouble with Wendy. Women! Jax loved them but they were a pain in the ass way too often. Maybe he should take a leaf out of Tig’s book and stick to whores. Or maybe get together with Ope, which would also quickly solve the guy’s marriage problem.

Just as he amused himself with the thought – Opie in a white dress with a veil and high heels would be a sight to behold – his phone rang. Chibs. "Yeah?"

"Jackieboy, Clay wants us at the table."

"On my way," Jax said, happy for the distraction from his messed up love life.

*   *   *   *   *

 "I just talked to Alvarez", Clay said. "He wants to re-negotiate on our peace agreement."

The tension immediately rose around the table. Nobody here, Jax included, apparently thought this was good news. "What does that mean?"

"Their Arizona charter has some beef with SAMTAZ. As with our agreement they were supposed to grant SAMTAZ the territory they were fighting over but apparently their local chapter is unwilling. Now Alvarez is panicking and is offering to compensate us if we agree to let this one slide."

"Shouldn't SAMTAZ decide that?" Jax asked. He definitely wouldn't want other chapters to make decisions for SAMCRO.

"I already brought them on board," Clay said. "They will follow our lead."

Of course you have, Jax thought. This whole setup was Clay’s operation and he wouldn't have anyone meddling with it. Which was understandable given that it was him who had almost gotten a bullet in the head but Jax was pretty sure that the old man also wanted to show him how to be a proper leader. He wondered if Clay had already tagged him as a do-gooder who was too weak to lead the club like Tig apparently had. If yes, he was severely mistaken but Jax knew he would have to solve this problem sooner or later. If he had learned one thing from his father’s rants it was that SAMCRO had to change and he probably needed to be president to make the necessary adjustments which would be hard with Clay fighting him. But this was a problem for another time. "What is he offering us?"

"250k," Clay said. "Most of it will go to SAMTAZ but we will keep fifty as a finder’s fee. Alvarez said he would throw something on top for us but wouldn't say what. Said it would be a surprise."

"Maybe a lot of tacos," Chibs suggested. "Or some new Mexican whores for Tig."

"In that case, I think I would take the tacos," Clay said. "Anyway, the exchange is tonight but I wanted to bring it to the table first. All in favor?"

Jax did not miss the pointed look Clay gave him at this but ignored it. He had no opposition to this plan and whatever Clay might think, he was not opposed to his every move – just those that were wrong. All voiced their agreement and Clay slammed the hammer down. "Alright, passed. Don’t drink too much, I want you sharp for later – just in case it is a trap."

*   *   *   *   *

 Jax and the others met Alvarez and the Mayans on a deserted crossroad a bit out of Charming. The Mayans carefully approached and seemed to do their best not to appear threatening in any way. Jax guessed chances were good that this wasn’t a setup of any kind. Alvarez would be a fool to try anything – attacking SAMCRO would only result in a much harsher response by the other chapters and the Mayans had already decided they did not want this war – but that would be a small consolation when they put a bullet into his head. So he didn't relax yet and eyed the Mayan’s van wearily. Probably the money was in there – it wasn’t easy to transport 250k on a bike – but it would also be a good hiding place for additional manpower or weapons. Granted, they also had a van for the money so the Mayans were probably thinking the same. Still, the Sons stayed behind their bikes for the moment, wanting the additional cover in case push came to shove.

Alvarez left his helmet on the handles of his bike and approached them. "Relax, gentlemen. We are all friends here."

Clay left his cover and met him halfway, probably to appear strong and fearless. "You can't blame us for being cautious. You tried to have me killed only days ago."

"And I have come to make amends," Alvarez said, shaking his hand. "Here is your money."

Two Mayans unloaded two large duffle bags from the van and carried them over to Alvarez. The Mayan president opened it, giving them a look at the dollar bills within. They would have to count it and check it for fakes first but Jax guessed everything would be in order. Alvarez knew there would be massive blowback, if he tried to weasel out of the deal. Clay motioned for Chibs and Happy to take the bag. "Check it and put it in the van. Now, you said something about a special gift, Alvarez. Where is it? At the risk of sounding greedy."

"It is a bit unusual but I am sure you will like it." He motioned to his men. "Bring the boy."

Boy? Jax wondered. He had expected a gun or some fancy motorcycle part and this didn't sound like either. Unless they meant an old Fat Boy motorcycle but he doubted that was Alvarez’ style. But apparently the Mayan president meant a literal boy because seconds later the Mayans had grabbed a guy from the back of the van and were pushing him towards them. The guy seemed really unwilling to move and gave them a good fight, though Jax doubted he would win it.

"Please, Marcus," the struggling man said, probably meaning Alvarez. "You can’t just throw me to the wolves like that. I will do everything you ask!"

"You already do that”, Alvarez said. “And it is nothing personal. I am just doing business here."

"Why are you doing this? I thought we were good. Is this about Esai?"

"Shut up!" Alvarez snapped. He turned around, grabbed the guy by the neck and pushed him towards the Sons. The prisoner stopped fighting, apparently resigned in his fate, and landed on his knees in front of Alvarez.

Now he was close enough that Jax could get a good look at him. He made a quick assessment. The guy looked young, early twenties at most. He had a small frame and a Mohawk with strange tribal tattoos on the shaved sides of his skull. He was looking down at his feet, making it impossible to see his features in the low light of the street lamps. Jax saw no cut or Mayan ink on him which made Jax wonder who he was and what to make of it.

"What is this?" Clay asked, apparently as nonplussed as Jax was.

"This is our boy Juice," Alvarez said. "A friend of the club. He has come in useful over the years and I am sure he will be useful for you too. I almost cost you a member, so I thought it would be fair to add one – or at least something like that."

"What should we want with some Mexican whelp?" Chibs asked from behind and Jax had to agree with him. This was highly unorthodox and Juice – what kind of nickname was that? – didn't look like much.

"Actually, he is Puerto Rican," Alvarez said. "White enough for you guys, I am sure."

"Chibs got a point," Clay said. "What should I do with him?"

Alvarez changed his grip and force Juice to look up. He had huge eyes, Jax noted, and looked definitely terrified. "He might not look like it but he is actually pretty smart. Good with computers and shit. He could help you with that – or scrub your clubhouse if this is more to your liking. And there are other uses as well. My club had a lot of fun with him over the years."

The implications were clear to Jax who did a double take. Had Alvarez just implied that the Mayans had fucked his guy? That he was some kind of male Crow Eater? Jax guessed it might be possible, people could ignore a lot of things, if the head was good enough. But most Crow Eaters were incredibly eager to spread their legs for any biker while Juice did not seem happy at the prospect at all. Clay, on the other hand, looked calculating which surprised Jax. He doubted his step-father wanted to actually fuck the boy – it would probably be an incredibly stupid idea since Gemma might flay them both alive – so he had to have some other angle here. "You are telling me that you fuck this boy?" Clay asked. "Did you spent too much time inside?”

Alvarez took this comment in stride. "Don’t knock it till you’ve tried it, ese. I know, I had my doubts but Juice here can give most women a run for their money just with his mouth"

"How do I know I can trust him?" Clay asked. "He could be spying for you."

Now Alvarez laughed. "Him? Ese, if you knew him at all, you would know that Juice can't tell a lie to save his life. And do you really think I would make it so obvious, if I wanted to plant a mole? Besides, you will have this to keep him in line."

He pulled out an envelope and handed it to Clay. "Evidence for some of the crimes Juice here has committed. If he runs or gives you any trouble you can put him into jail for a long time – or just kill him if you want to. But I doubt you would need it, he is pretty good at doing what he is told.”

Clay considered it. "Then why do you want to part with him? He sounds pretty useful to me."

Alvarez’s good mood vanished. "Let’s just say he overstayed his welcome. It was either shipping him off to you or putting a bullet in his brain. So you might want to consider your answer."

"Hmm," Clay said, making a big show of considering. Jax could not tell if he was really undecided or if he was just play-acting to get a rise out of Alvarez. Maybe he wanted him to give them something else on top. Jax met Juice’s eyes, saw the terror in them and decided to intervene. Juice could be useful and he didn’t want to waste this opportunity for some power play. "We will take him."

"We will?" Clay asked.

"We can use a tech expert. It would give me more time for my VP duties. Maybe we can get some decent equipment for once. You could help us with that, right, Juice?"

"Yes," the Puerto Rican stammered. "Yes, I can hook you up. Burner phones. Better surveillance, custom programs, everything."

"Look at that," Alvarez said. "I didn't even know he can do all this." He pulled Juice to his feet and shoved him forwards toward Clay. "Get lost."

Juice quickly scrambled onto the Son's side, coming to rest next to Happy who gruffly grabbed him and started to pat him down. Jax guessed the kid really had a bad luck, getting greeted by Happy was no picnic. "I guess we have a new tech," Clay said. "Thanks for that, Alvarez. I trust we do not have to pay him."

Alvarez shook his head. "Just give him some food and a bed and he will be happy. Some dick from time to time, so he doesn't get lonely."

"I think I will outsource that one," Clay said, shaking hands with him. "See you later."

The meeting broke up and the Mayans quickly left, leaving the Sons alone. Clay coolly regarded the trembling Juice, who was pressed against the van by Happy. "Not much to look at, is there? You can let him go, Happy."

Happy did but still glowered at Juice. Given Happy’s usual demeanor that did not have to mean much but Jax guessed he did not trust he Puerto Rican. Jax guessed that was wise, though he found it hard to consider the guy a threat. "Turn around, kid," Clay said. Juice tentatively did.

"Please," he said, "I am not a Mayan. Don't hurt me."

"Nobody is going to hurt you," Jax said but he had to admit that this was probably hard to believe.

"Unless you deserve it, that is," Clay added and Juice went a shade paler. "Is it true what said earlier? You some kind of computer expert?"

"Yes," Juice said. "I taught myself. I am sure you can help you."

"Well, I hope for your sake that you can. Just know that if anything strange happens with you around, you will be the one we string up first."

Juice nodded and Jax had a quick look around. Most faces were impassive but Bobby looked worried about something. Tig, on the other hand, looked positively giddy and Jax didn’t need much imagination to know why. He was probably dying to continue what the Mayans had started with Juice.

"We need to figure out how to handle Juice," Bobby said, eyes on Tig. "Lay down some ground rules to make sure everything runs smoothly."

Jax expected Clay to shrug it off but the president nodded. "Agreed. Put Juice in the van with Sack. We are taking him back to the clubhouse. Then we figure out the details."


	2. Ground Rules

"Alright," Clay said as he took his place at the head of the table. "It seems like we have some more money and a new...friend. What are we going to do with him?"

"What Jax said," Opie grunted. "He can take care of the tech. Maybe we will get stuff that isn't shit then – no offense, Jax."

"None taken," Jax replied who was not delusional enough to consider himself any kind of tech specialist.

"You think he can be trusted?" Happy asked. "He is as good as a Mayan. He could be spying for Alvarez or trying to sabotage us."

"Bollocks," Chibs said. "Have you seen the guy? He is little more than a child. If he is even capable of spying on anyone, I will eat my bike."

"I don't think he is a spy, either" Clay said. "And I had a look at the evidence Alvarez forked over. Lots of computer crimes, if we want to, we can put Juice into jail for years with one call to Unser – if we don't just kill him. And I doubt the Mayans would give him any protection. He would be more than stupid to cross us. I think we can safely use him for the tech stuff."

"I trust we will pay him?" Bobby asked. "Or are we now using slave labor?"

Jax had to agree here. "We can let him stay in the clubhouse, I don't need the crash pad anymore now that Wendy is gone. He can eat with us, Bobby is always cooking anyway. For everything else we can give Juice a small fee. Not much, just so he can take care of himself. Maybe we can also find some way for him to pull his weight. Either with his tech or by helping in the garage."

Tig snorted. "You want to give him a cut next?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I mean that you and do-gooder Elvis here aren't getting what has happened. Alvarez has given us the guy to finish him off. They probably expect us to have a good time with him and then blow his brains out."

"So you now do what the Mayans want?" Jax asked pointedly, not wanting to think about how exactly Tig wanted to have good time with Juice.

"No, I just don't go all bleeding heart about a guy I just met." Tig said. He turned to Clay. "I say we let him fix our tech, do whatever else we want to do with him and then get rid of him. No point taking any risk."

"And by ‘whatever else’ you mean fucking him?" Jax asked.

"After all the talk Alvarez gave us? Hell yeah. I want to find out if he is a good as advertised. You got a problem with that, VP?"

Jax glared at the challenge. Tig was testing him, trying to paint him as the soft do-gooder he thought he was. He would need to react to this. Show the pervert who was the boss here without seeming petty.

Before he could properly word his replay Clay spoke. "I am not playing the cleaner for the Mayans. If Juice turns out to be useful, he is here to stay. If not, we will get rid of him eventually – maybe even without spilling blood. Now as far as his other talents go: I won't judge anyone who wants a bit of Puerto Rican tail but I want some ground rules: His tech duties come first and you have to ask him. If he refuses, you have to respect that. You can get rough with him but I don't want any permanent damage. Everyone agree with that?"

Assertive murmurs filled the place but Bobby and Piney looked uncomfortable and Jax could understand why: Juice’s right to refuse was only theoretical. The Sons held his life and his freedom and Jax doubted the Puerto Rican would dare to refuse any of them. Tig seemed to think the same way, if his dirty grin was any indication.

"Good," Clay said. "Just remember that this is Jax’s thing so if you want Juice to do anything – sexual or otherwise –, Jax has to sign off on it."

Tig looked stunned. "What?"

"Why me?" Jax asked, equally surprised.

"You are our tech guy and you wanted him in the first place. Somebody has to show him the ropes and to make sure the clubhouse doesn’t become a gay orgy. I think you are the best man for the job. You okay with that?"

"Sure, whatever the club needs," Jax said, savoring the crestfallen look on Tig’s face.

"All in favor of the Juice deal?" Clay asked.

Everyone put their hands up, even if Tig hesitated for a bit. Clay slammed the gavel down and Jax guessed he had a ward now. He suspected that Clay had some ulterior motive here – he highly doubted that the president gave a shit about what happened to Juice – but before he could ask his step father about it, he had already left with Tig and the others. Ope stayed behind with Jax in the chapel, giving him a thoughtful look. "You okay?"

"Not sure what has just happened," Jax said. "You think Clay is playing an angle? Maybe testing me?"

"I think he is almost always playing an angle," Ope grunted. "Any idea what he could be after?"

Jax rubbed his neck uncomfortably. "There have been some doubts about me being too soft lately. Tig has all but said it to my face. It’s blowback from me trying to rein in the Mayhem and from spending too much time with Tara. Maybe Clay wants to see how I will handle the boy – and possibly Tig's claims to his ass. Not sure what I should do, though. I could go ballistic on Tig but I am not sure that’s what Clay wants."

"Want my advice?"

"Course, Ope."

"You gotta squash these doubts before they get any more traction. You are the VP, you are what stands between us and chaos if Clay isn't around. Everybody needs to know you will do whatever is necessary. If Tig is giving you shit, you have to teach him a lesson. I would probably kick the guy’s ass in front of the whole club."

"Not a bad idea," Jax said with a smile even though he thought Clay would prefer a more subtle approach. It was weird that he was still trying to please his step-dad with thirty but that was being a child for you. "What about the boy? You think I am too soft there?"

Ope gave a shrug. "I don't know the guy, so I don't really care what happens to him. I wouldn't champion for him too hard, if I were you. Leave the moral shit to Bobby, he is better at it anyway. Otherwise I would just do whatever would piss Tig off the most to show him who is boss. Which probably involves not letting him into Juice’s ass. But you can’t appear to go soft on the boy. Maybe you should rough him up a little for some reason – or you could fuck him yourself. "

Jax raised an eyebrow. "You think I want to fuck Juice?"

"I know you are a horny guy and that Alvarez made a pretty good sell. And it is not like we have never done something like that."

"Teenage stuff doesn’t count," Jax said immediately.

"Of course not," Opie said, winking and getting up. "Anyway, all I am saying is that it would drive Tig nuts to see you banging Juice without being able to do the same. Not that I am vindictive or anything."

"Maybe," Jax mused who wasn’t really comfortable with the idea.

"Just don’t do it in front of the whole club," Opie said. "You don’t want scare anyone away."

"We both know you would be first in line to watch, brother."

"Just tell yourself that."

*   *   *   *   *

Juice was waiting in the main room of the Sons clubhouse under the watchful eyes of a prospect while the full members of the club were debating what to do with him. Juice had no idea what to expect. Would they kill him? Bend him over the table and take turns fucking him? Cut him loose? The uncertainty was mind-rattling and he was nervously fidgeting with his shirt. He was certain he was sweating and his stomach was doing back-flips. Jesus Christ, he was in the fucking clubhouse of the Mayan’s biggest rival and they had the permission to do whatever they wanted to him. What would the Mayans do if the situation were reversed? Probably fuck the poor guy six ways to Sunday and then beat him to death. That it was the dead of night – it was pushing two in the morning – didn’t help either. It would be the perfect time to dump a body in the woods.

"You don't have to be nervous," the prospect said, apparently taking pity on him.

"Sorry," Juice said, "hard not to be."

"I don't doubt that but we aren't as bad as you might think. I'm Half-Sack."

Juice raised an eyebrow. "What kind of name is that?"

Half-Sack smiled shyly. "Got half my sack blown off in Iraq. Once I told the guys I had my nickname. Wanna see?"

"No, thanks," Juice said. He had the nasty feeling that he would see all the guy's cocks soon enough. "What’s gonna happen now?"

Half-Sack shrugged. "Beats me, I am just the prospect. Probably Jax will give you a lot of tech stuff to do. He tried to pass the duty to me but I can barely operate a toaster."

"Jax?"

"Our VP, the tall blond guy who looks a like a surfer."

Ah, right. Juice had noticed him already, of course, but he hadn't caught the guy’s name. "What is he like?"

"Pretty nice actually, even if he has a bit of a temper. I doubt he will give you any shit for working with the Mayans." Sack hesitated. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"The things Alvarez said about you pleasing the Mayans, are they true?"

Juice gave a small smile. "Why would he lie about that?"

"To rattle us? Or maybe because he doesn't like you?"

"The funny thing is that we actually got along quite well – till the end at least," Juice said sadly. He took a deep breath. "But to answer your question: Yes, it is true."

"How did this happen? Are you like a male Crow Eater or something?"

This implied that Juice had had a choice and that he had liked doing it – neither was true. And he really didn't want to answer this question, it brought back too many painful memories. Memories at a time when he hadn’t spent almost every day with an unwanted dick inside of him. Luckily, he was spared from answering by the door opening and the other members spilling out of their meeting room. Sack jerked to attention and started getting them beers, leaving Juice alone for a moment. He felt their eyes on him and carefully looked around.

The bald, brown one was mustering with open mistrust – and maybe some lust – while the curly-haired old guy was practically undressing him with his cold blue eyes. Juice suppressed a shiver. This guy made him nervous and he really didn't want him any near any orifice of his. But he probably wouldn't have much of a choice in this matter.

He was jolted out of his thoughts when Jax approached him. "Come with me," he said.

Juice did was he was told, grabbing his meager belongings and following the VP deeper into the clubhouse. The omnipresent Reaper motive made him nervous, even if he knew it was just there to make the Sons look badass – which actually worked pretty well. They passed a hideously looking motorcycle in teal which Jax touched fondly as they passed. Okay, note to self: Never talk shit about this bike. Though Jax didn't seem like the loud colors type at all. Maybe the bike belonged to somebody close to him. Finally they reached a room in the back of the clubhouse which seemed like a bedroom for somebody. It was messy but looked pretty habitable to Juice even if beds normally meant that somebody was about to get fucked – usually him.

Jax turned to look at him. "You can stay here for the moment. There is a bathroom next door you can use. When we you have earned our trust, we might help you get an apartment in Charming."

"Understood, "Juice said, scanning the room. There was a lot of stuff lying around which made him think the room was used by someone else recently. "Is someone else staying here?"

"I used to but I got my own house back now. I admit it is a bit of a mess, I hadn’t had time to tidy up. You will be safe here but know that we will keep an eye on you. Don't wander off and don't go around nosing into anyone’s business. We will keep an eye on you, so don't think you can just slip away when we have passed out."

"I won't," Juke said and meant it. How was he supposed to escape anyway? He couldn't even ride a bike much less steal a car. And even if he got a vehicle where was he supposed to go? Back to the Mayans? Alvarez had made it pretty clear that this door was shut tight. Back east? He had little waiting there for him. Besides, the Sons still held the evidence over his head. When they passed it to one of their cop friends – he was pretty sure that they were chummy with the local law – the police would take care of Juice for them. He might be able to give the DA some dirt in exchange for a lower sentence but he knew little of value about the Mayans and nothing about the Sons. Making any kind of deal – if he even got enough dirt – would likely only result in a shiv between the rips in prison. No, he could only stay put and hope that they wouldn’t kill him.

"Good," the VP said. "Now, tell me, what’s the deal between you and Alvarez? What did you do to piss him off so much?"

Juice debated evading the question to show he was loyal but he doubted that Jax would appreciate him sticking up for one of their rivals. "I don't really know. It was very sudden. Me and Esai were close, you know, with Alvarez blessing. When Esai was killed everything changed abruptly. Alvarez gave me one last fuck, some kind words about my relationship with Esai and then threw me out with no reason at all. It is like he blames me for Esai's death but how could I have anything to do with it? I don't know anything about the club business."

Jax's expression was a careful mask and Juice suddenly was sure that the Sons VP knew something he didn't. He didn't know how this was possible – Jax probably hardly knew Alvarez – but the feeling was strong. He was dying to ask but obviously couldn't. It was not his place to question the VP – or any other Son – about anything. "Strange. Maybe I will look into it."

"So, what happens now?" Juice asked. It might be begging for trouble but the uncertainty was killing him. Hopefully Jax would give him an answer instead of a punch in the face for speaking out of turn. Alvarez had never liked it when Juice had done that.

"Pretty much what you expect," Jax drawled. "You take a look at our computers and see what you can do. Burner phones too. And don't just do what I tell you, think for yourself. I want the best setup we can possibly have. As far as tech goes, you have a free reign. But other than that you will do what is asked, keep your mouth shut and don't ask any stupid questions. If you try to slip away, we will find you and string you up. Remember that this town belongs to us. We will get to you before you make it out of Charming. And even if you should get away, we still have the evidence Alvarez gave us. One call from a concerned citizen to our esteemed chief of police and you will be in prison for a long time. And don't think you will be safe from us inside. Am I clear?"

"Crystal," Juice said. He had had the same thoughts earlier, after all.

"Good. Now, the club appointed me as your handler, so you will do what I tell you. If the others tell you otherwise, you ignore them and tell them to come to me. If they give you shit for it, come to me and I will take care of it. I don't think it will happen but it is good to be prepared. But remember that my protection has its limits. If I think you are acting out, I will punish you myself. And if I tell you to do something, I don't want to hear any stupid questions. Doesn’t matter what I tell you to do, just do it unless it is technically impossible or a very bad idea. Got it?"

"Yes," Juice said, steeling himself for what would come next. Any moment now, Jax would tell him to get on his knees. Or would he want his ass first? Juice guessed it was a blessing that Jax would be the first Son he had to fuck. The VP might be a pretty intimidating guy but Juice couldn't deny he was good-looking.

"Alright, I will see you in the morning. Then you will take a look at our equipment and see what you can do. There should be fresh sheets somewhere in the drawer."

He left, leaving Juice alone with this thoughts. The Puerto Rican waited for someone else to come and fuck him but nothing happened. After half an hour he relaxed, undressed and went to bed, quickly falling into an uneasy sleep.


	3. The Past & the Future

Juice’s dreams were a jumble: glimpses of Esai, his life before the Mayans and terrifying visions of the Sons or Alvarez mixed into a confusing whirlwind of impressions. When Juice finally awoke, he was disoriented and felt vaguely sick. Once he got his bearings, he sat up and put his head in his hands. What was he supposed to do now? He was all alone and surrounded by enemies. He could hear the voices of some of the Sons through his door and wondered how many of them were already waiting to fuck him. Honestly, Juice had expected to have been fucked by now and it surprised him that Jax had not said anything about that when he had given him his duties yesterday. It was of course possible that the Sons were too straight and macho for this but Juice thought this was unlikely. The Mayans were not especially flaming either but once one of them had started they had quickly lined up to use him in any way they could think of. And Alvarez had made sure to plant the seed at the meet with the Sons. Whether it was to sweeten the deal to Clay or to hurt Juice, the Puerto Rican didn’t know but now every member of the Sons would think about it whenever he saw him. Juice guessed it was only a matter of time until somebody want to try it and then the others would quickly follow. Juice’s skin crawled with the thought, his mind immediately jumping back to the last time this had happened.

Back with the Mayans, Esai had eventually forbidden everyone else to touch Juice and to the Puerto Rican's immense surprise, they all had listened. It was probably Alvarez who had had the final say but Juice knew that the Mayan president never would have helped him without the insistence of his son. In retrospect, it had been a good time. Juice still hadn’t been free but he had been safe and with a guy he actually liked. Not to be passed around like a joint was something you only valued when you had been there. But Esai was gone and Juice was on his own again. If he couldn’t get his freedom – and there was no reason to think that he could – he at least needed an arrangement like with Esai if he didn’t want a dozen people in his ass every day.

The question who here could possibly play the role of Esai in this arrangement. Half-Sack seemed pretty nice but he wouldn't have the juice – no pun intended – to pull this off. Clay certainly had the power but he seemed pretty aloof and Juice doubted he cared much about him. So his best chance might be the obvious one: Jax. He was his handler so they would probably spend quite a bit of time together, giving Juice the chance to get to know the guy. And he seemed to at least care somewhat about Juice, after all he had convinced Clay to take him in in the first place. Maybe Juice could build on that. But he was not naïve enough to think this would happen overnight. Jax hardly knew him and probably needed a lot of convincing to shield him from his brothers. A lot depended on how much the Sons wanted a piece of him. If they weren't that interested, it wouldn't take much for Jax to shut it down. But if they were and Jax would need to twist a few arms to keep Juice safe, he would need a lot of motivation. How could Juice give him that? His tech skills? Doubtful. These guys were Jax’s brothers and it would take a lot more than new computers and good burner phones to get him into Juice’s corner. No, the obvious choice would be the same thing that had lured in Esai: Juice ass.

If Jax came to like fucking him, he might eventually care about him as a person or grow jealous and stop the others from touching him, just like it had happened with Esai. Juice hadn’t planned it the last time and scheming about something like this gave him a sick feeling in his stomach but he knew it had to be done. He had spent too long as a living cum rag, he couldn’t go back to it – at least not indefinitely. The only problem with this plan was that until now Jax hadn't show any interest in Juice sexually. If he wasn't into him, it would be a lot harder to get his protection. He could still be a nice guy and protect Juice because it was the right thing to do but Juice had learned the hard way not to rely on the morals of outlaw MC members. He guessed he would have to do some gentle foraging, maybe even plant the seed in the guy’s mind. It would be a bit weird – he hadn’t initiated a sexual encounter in years – but he guessed he would manage. Though he better make sure Jax was actually interested first. It would be just his luck to get a punch in the face for feeling up a guy who wasn't into dick.

A knock on his door startled him out of his thoughts. The door opened and one of the Sons – the bearded giant he had seen with Jax yesterday – came in, carrying a plate with breakfast. "Rise and shine."

"What time is it?"

"Almost nine. Got you some breakfast."

"Okay, thanks, umm..."

"Opie," the giant said.

"You are close with Jax, right?"

"Best friends since we were kids," Opie said matter-of-factly. He openly eyed Juice’s half-naked form. "You should get dressed. Jax will be here soon and I doubt you can fix the tech in your underwear."

As a matter of fact, Juice had repeatedly written programs with an actual dick in his ass – it was easier to multi-task than sucking someone off, since you could see what you were doing –, so he was pretty certain he could handle that one. Though he wisely kept quiet since he didn’t want to give Opie any ideas. Though come to think of it, he might be a candidate for his plan as well. He wasn't a high-ranking member but he looked tough enough to break more than a few bones. Opie definitely seemed more interested that Jax had. Still, Juice wanted more information before he made a move. "Right. Thanks for the food."

"Thank Bobby, he is the one who made it." Opie said and left. Not much of a talker that one. Juice wasn’t sure if that was a good sign or not. He quickly ate breakfast – noting how much better it tasted than anything he had eaten at the Mayans – and looked for some clean clothes. He wanted to make a good impression on Jax. He didn’t think the VP set much value on appearances but it couldn't hurt to wear a clean t-shirt. And he should probably take a shower too, the stress of the last day and the restless night had left him sticky. He dropped his boxers, grabbed a towel and went over to the bathroom.

 *   *   *   *   *

Jax checked his phone again when he arrived at TM. Still no news from Tara. This was really starting to piss him off. Waiting for her to make a decision was extreme grating and he hated that he not only went along with it but also checked his phone all the time like a lovesick teenager. It was all this old feelings crap, bringing him right back into a time where pussy could wrap his head ten times to Sunday. Next he would probably shave off his beard and jerk off with Ope again. He hated to admit it but maybe his mom was right about him and Tara. It wouldn't work out and they were both better off not trying to force anything. But perhaps he should give Tara some more time. She had been out of this life for over a decade, maybe it would just take some getting used to. Or maybe he was a fool for getting his hopes up. And he was definitely thinking way too much about this so he shook his head and went to find his TM overalls.

"Hey, Ope," he said when he met his best friend. "Any word from Donna?"

Ope shook his head. "Nothing. She probably needs some more time – if she comes back at all."

"She will, Ope, I am certain of it."

"What about you?" Opie asked, probably to change the topic. "You seem down about something."

"Ah, Tara is taking a leaf out of Donna’s playbook, getting all anxious about the life. Not sure if she can handle it."

"If she can't, then forget her, bro. It will only make you both miserable. Trust me, I know."

He looked heartbroken and Jax wished he could do something. "I know it's rough, man. Tell me if I can do anything."

"Thanks," Opie said. He took a deep breath. "Your boy Juice is up. You should probably send him to work before you are elbow-deep in an engine."

Jax wasn’t sure he cared for the expression "your boy" but he thought Ope had a point. He wouldn’t want anyone to keep Juice from his work or Juice to wander somewhere he wasn’t supposed to be. "Where is he?"

"Still back in the room, I think."

"I will take a look," Jax said. He clapped Ope on the shoulder and went inside the clubhouse. Most of the guys were already up and working but Bobby was still finishing breakfast which didn't surprise Jax at all. Bobby’s flab had to come from somewhere. Though he shouldn't be too hard on the guy, at least Bobby was an amazing cook and kept them all well-fed even if he was in danger of flattening his bike with his bulk. He looked up when Jax passed. "I got Juice some breakfast, thought the guy could use some fattening up."

Jax snorted. "You think everyone needs that, I remember you trying to feed me and Opie."

"Only reason you two turned out so well. Ope would be half his size, if I hadn't taken care of them."

"I think he would look like his mom, if he had eaten everything you made," Jax said. "But thanks for taking care of Juice."

"It is good he has you as a handler and not Clay or Tig," Bobby said pointedly. "I trust that you will do the right thing."

"I will try," Jax said. The problem would be finding out what the right thing was. There were many variables to consider. He wanted to do right by his dad and had the feeling that JT would be uncomfortable with this arrangement. It was hard to be sure, though. He knew little about his dad’s actual work with the club and the words in his diary had to be taken with a grain of salt since hardly anyone was honest to himself. And Jax had his own reputation to consider. He couldn't appear to be weak, if he didn't want to risk losing any chance at the Gavel. Jax was certain he would get the president patch in time – he had an excellent claim – but how easy this would be really depended on what the other members thought of him. Appearing weak would rattle some of them and would make Clay clutch the Gavel even harder. It might cost him years of his life, if Clay tried to fight him for it, years he could use to turn the club in the right direction, possibly saving a lot of lives and keeping them out of jail. And last but not least, he really wanted a good tech expert to take some work of him. "I better go check on him."

"You do that," Bobby said, moving back to his red onions and herbs omelet, which was big enough to get Jax through the whole day.

Jax shook his head at the blatant gluttony and moved to the crash pad in the back. He opened the door without knocking only to find the room deserted. Juice was probably in the bathroom. He noted that Juice had moved hardly a thing, if he hadn't know, Jax wouldn’t have noticed that somebody else was using the room. Weird. Maybe the guy was too afraid to change anything? Jax would have to tell him he could rearrange the room, if he wanted.

At this moment the door opened and Juice stepped out, clad only in a towel. Jax turned his head and did a double take. Juice was ripped! He might be smaller in mass but he had a definition that made Jax jealous. It was very appealing and pretty much the opposite of what the VP had expected. A large number of tattoos covered Juice’s arms though the motifs meant nothing to Jax.

Juice startled when he saw him. He froze, eying Jax wearily. "Sorry, didn't know you were here."

The VP tore his gaze away from his body to look up into his face. "Don't worry, I have seen more than enough naked guys in my time here." Juice actually blushed and Jax used the opportunity to look at his tats again. "I gotta ask, what's with the ink? I don't see any Mayan motifs."

"I would never be allowed. I wasn't a member, not even close to ever becoming one. They probably would have killed me for the insult."

"What do the tats mean?" Jax asked.

Juice shrugged. "Nothing to me. Most of them weren’t even my idea. Esai liked me inked, so he made sure I was inked. I resisted at first but all I got for it were a few beatings. It was easier to play along." He motioned to his head tattoos. "I could even choose some of them."

"I see why he didn't let you choose," Jax joked, though there was a bit of a sick feeling in his stomach. He had known that the Mayans hadn't treated Juice well but making someone get inked up against his will was weirdly abhorrent to him. Maybe it was because his ink meant a lot to him, having someone else’s motifs on his skin would be unthinkable. Another thought struck him. "You don't have a branding somewhere, do you?" he asked, motioning towards the towel that covered Juice’s lower body.

"No," Juice said. "They weren't that bad." He fidgeted with his towel. "You want to have a look?"

The last time a guy had offered to show him the goods had been more than a decade ago when he had experimented with Opie. But Juice wasn’t a teenager and it wasn't harmless fun and curiosity that fueled this question. Juice probably expected him to bend him over any time now. Jax couldn't deny that the thought held a lot more appeal now he had seen what Juice had to offer but he wouldn’t force Juice to do that. After all, he wasn’t Alvarez – or Tig, for that matter. "Just get dressed. You have a lot to do today. Meet me at the bar once you are finished."

He left the room, not wanting to give Juice any wrong ideas.

*   *   *   *   *

Juice dressed quickly, not wanting to make Jax wait for him. He wasn’t sure what had just happened between them. Had Jax just checked him out? Lots of people were surprised by his physique but this had been more than just passing curiosity – or at least he had thought so. He had been ready to drop the towel and bend over but when he had asked – and he had to ask about pretty much everything given his position – Jax had balked. Had Juice been wrong about him? And how did this make him feel? Apparently both relieved and disappointed at the same time. One the one hand, he was grateful for every second he could spend without a dick in his ass but on the other he was certain that Jax was the only guy that could protect him here. If he wasn't interested in his ass, it would be a lot harder to motivate him. Juice would have to do some gentle digging in the future. But at first he should really get dressed. It wouldn't do to keep Jax waiting.

Once he was presentable, he met the VP Jax in the main room of the clubhouse. He could feel the eyes of the SAMCRO members on him and really didn't care for the attention. Hopefully the stares would stop once they had gotten used to him being around. Jax finished chatting to Opie and led him to TM’s main office. "You might want to start here," the VP said. "Have a look at all the computers and see if you can get them to run properly. They either always freeze up or are just slow pieces of shit. Or maybe my mom just breaks everything she touches. Behave yourself, don't stray. Tell me what you find out."

Juice did as he was told and spent most of the day working on the computers in the clubhouse and main office. It was dull and slow work but Juice breathed easier when he could focus on something. His first analysis was that there was nothing completely wrong with the equipment, it was just old and could be better maintained. Some new parts and a clean re-installation of the software should clean up most problems. Easy as pie. He would need some cash but it was trivial as far as his skills went. Some new software licenses might be useful was well, if Juice couldn’t code the programs himself. He guessed he would have everything properly set up in about two weeks tops and this included some custom coding for better surveillance software and setting up a new burner phone pipeline. Once this was done, he would have a lot of spare time for other duties like hacking – and getting fucked. This had been his fate in the Mayans. Once most of his actual tech work had been done, he had spent most of his days either getting fucked or getting ready for being fucked. It had given him a lot of time to get into shape – mostly at Esai’s request – but he wasn’t really keen for a reprisal. He could stall, of course, but if Jax wasn’t a total idiot – and Juice had no reason to assume he was – this wouldn’t work long. Put maybe he was getting ahead of himself, he didn’t really know how Jax would handle the situation anyway.

He didn’t see much of the guys this day except Bobby who made lunch for him and this suited Juice just fine. His last years had made him appreciate the times he spent alone. But he guessed Jax wanted to be kept in the loop so Juice called it a day in the late afternoon and went to find the VP. His search didn’t take very long. It seemed liked TM had already closed and most of the guys were either already gone or drinking in the front. Jax, however, was in the back working out with Opie, both stripped to the waist.

Juice had to admit that the view was impressive. Taking care of Jax wouldn’t be much a chore. Opie was a bit big for his tastes but he had definitely done worse. "How's it going?" Jax said to him while doing pull-ups.

"Okay, I guess," Juice said. "The software could need some improvements but the main problem is the hardware. I might need some cash to get new parts if you want a lasting improvement."

Jax paused in mid-air for a moment and considered this. "You realize I won't just fork over some cash and send you shopping, right?"

"Of course."

"I have to clear it with the guys first. You find out what to get and give me a number. And try to get the best value, please."

Juice nodded and watched Jax jump down after his last rep. "You want a round?" the VP asked. "You probably want to stay in shape."

This got Juice’s attention. Why did Jax care about his muscles suddenly? Was he interested after all? Could be a good sign and Juice could use a work-out. But he didn’t feel comfortable with so many possible eyes on him. Stripping in front of the whole club was asking for a dick in his ass. "Maybe later, I want to clean up the room first. Pack your stuff up."

"Thanks, I will get some of it before I go." Jax said and went over to doing squats.

*   *   *   *   *

Jax went back to his room, ignoring the pangs in his body. Shit, it had only been an hour after his work-out and he already felt sore all over. He really shouldn't work out with Opie anymore. It was more fun but Opie was pushing Jax way too hard. If it got any worse over night, he wouldn't be able to move tomorrow. He should probably go home and soak in a hot bath or something. But first he had to check on Juice.

He opened the door and saw that Juice had gotten some moving crates somewhere and had already put some of Jax’s stuff inside. The room already looked a lot tidier than Jax had ever seen it. "I see you have been busy."

Juice nodded. He was just going through the bookshelf. "I wondered if I can borrow some of the books so I have something to read. I got my laptop from the Mayans but is not the same thing."

"Sure," Jax said. Most of his most treasured books were at his home anyway. He stretched out his arm for a Harley manual he wanted to take with him and winced. Shit, his pecs were killing him and his arms were little better.

"Are you alright?" Juice asked immediately. He actually sounded concerned.

"Sore from training," Jax said. "The way it is going, I probably won’t be able to move tomorrow. Piece of advice: never train with Ope, the guy pushes you way too hard."

Juice looked thoughtful for a moment. "Maybe I can help."

Jax raised an eyebrow. "How?"

"I give pretty good massages," Juice mumbled without looking at him. "They should help taking the edge off."

This was an unexpected offer. Jax wondered if Juice was playing an angle here. Was he trying to catch Jax off-guard to attack him? Or was he genuinely just trying to help? Jax wasn’t sure but the idea of a massage was quite tempting. Even if this was a trick, he doubted that Juice could do any serious damage to him – and he would be stupid to try, the clubhouse was full of people who would tear his skin off should he hurt Jax. "Hm, good idea." He took his cut off. "How far should I strip?"

"Boxers," Juice said. "You can lay down on the bed."

Once he was undressed to his boxers he moved to the bed and lay down on his stomach "Alright, get to work, Juice."

The Puerto Rican moved in and did. His warm hands moved over Jax’s back and kneaded the tension out of the muscles. Jax groaned, Juice had clearly understated when he had talked about giving "pretty good massages". Jesus, he should probably have him do that after every workout. Juice moved over Jax’s arms down to his lower back, then skipped his ass and worked on Jax's legs next. The VP closed his eyes and relaxed, completely focused on the hands on his body. Juice moved up again and tentatively started working on his ass – which actually very much needed some relaxation after all the squats Jax had done. Getting massaged through the fabric felt only half as good and Jax wondered if he should have stripped completely, decency be damned.

"You can turn around now," Juice said. "I will do your front."

Jax wasn’t really keen on moving at the moment but opened his eyes and carefully turned over. He saw Juice for a moment, before settling on his back again. He also realized that he was hard. He wasn’t entirely sure when this had happened but guessed all the touching had had an effect. It was a bit awkward but he decided Juice would have to deal with it. After all that was he was wearing boxers for. He closed his eyes and let Juice work on his chest next. The Puerto Rican gently scoped all the defined muscles and seemed to be even more focused on the work than before. Again, he did the legs first before moving back up. Suddenly Jax felt a tuck on his boxers which were yanked down to his knees, making his dick sprang free and bop on his stomach. The VP opened his eyes in time to see Juice settle himself between his legs and swallowing his cock.

Jax's first impulse was to push him off but then the pleasure hit him. Shit, Alvarez had not lied about Juice’s mouth. "Holy shit, Juice."

He thought he could see Juice smile for a moment but then he pushed him from his mind, settled back to let the Puerto Rican take care of him. Damn, this was the best after work out care he had ever had. He wondered if he would be allowed to come in Juice's mouth. His dick gave a twitch at the thought.

Just then Juice pulled off him for a moment and Jax glared at Juice. "What the fuck do you think you are doing?"

"Sorry," Juice said, actually looking flustered. "Just wanted to ask you if you want my ass as well. If not, say the word and I will finish you off in a heartbeat."

Jax mind spun with the possibility. He was curious but a bit nervous at the thought which was ridiculous considering that Juice would be the one with a dick in his ass. But that was probably an idea for another day, he was too horny to wait and too exhausted to actually do much. But there was one thing that Juice could do for him. "Strip. I want to see you."

Immediately Juice pulled his shirt over his head and pulled off his jeans, leaving him only in his boxers. "All of it," Jax said when the Puerto Rican hesitated.

Juice did what he was told, exposing himself complete to Jax. It was hard to compare the size since Jax was hard and Juice wasn’t but the Puerto Rican’s cock was definitely bigger than Jax had expected. Juice was uncut just as Jax was but unlike the VP he was clean shaven without so much as a stubble in sight. Jax felt himself growing even hornier at the sight. "Jesus Christ. Get your mouth back on me."

He had only just leaned back when Juice was on him, sucking him off like there was no tomorrow. Jax let Juice take care of him, losing himself in the pleasure. He was probably making a lot of noise but did not care at all. Sometime later – he could honestly not say when – he tensed and came in Juice's mouth who obediently swallowed ever drop. Jax opened his eyes to see Juice straightening up. "That was awesome, Juice."

"Glad to help, VP," Juice gasped and the use of his title made Jax appreciate it even more. Getting your ego stroked and your dick sucked at the same time was awesome. Juice pulled back, giving Jax room to get back up. Jax gingerly did and noted that his muscles felt a lot better already. With a hot shower he felt that there was at least a chance he could move tomorrow. When he turned his head towards Juice he saw that the Puerto Rican was hard now. Damn, the thing was big, probably as big as his own. Should he do something? It didn’t seem right to leave the guy high and dry. But Jax hadn’t really signed up for this. Juice had just sucked him of without warning.

"You don't have to stay," the Puerto Rican said, as if reading his mind. "I only wanted to help you relax."

"Well, you certainly did," Jax said, reaching for his underwear. "I might need you to do this after every training."

Juice nodded and Jax felt a sudden burst of desire. He could certainly get behind this idea. But first he had to do some serious thinking. This whole thing with Juice was weird and he had to figure out the rules of engagement here. There was a lot of stuff to consider given Juice’s complicated situation and his own position in the club. He would probably lose some sleep over this one even if his dick already knew his position.


	4. Unintended

Despite his earlier worries, Jax fell into bed easily after a hot shower and slept soundly for a few hours. His peace lasted until five am when he woke up for no apparent reason. He tried to get back to sleep but found it impossible. After twisting and turning for maybe half an hour, he gave up and got out of bed. He put on some coffee and sat down in the kitchen with a smoke in his hand. He was pissed about the lack of sleep but not really surprised. It was obvious what kept him awake: Juice. Jax would have to figure out what to do with the guy. Yesterday had given him a taste of what else the Puerto Rican had to offer, should he take him up for more or shut it down? It was hard to tell, a lot of things had to be considered. Luckily, his sexual identity was not one of those. Jax still considered himself mostly straight but he could appreciate some dick on the side. It was hard not to when prison was a constant threat and after all the experimentation he had done with Opie in their teenage years. And Juice definitely was cute, Jax could safely admit that without damaging his self-image. No, he wasn’t going to freak out because he wanted to bang a dude which was good because he had many other things to think about.

First on his mind was the club. He guessed they wouldn't be too much of an issue. If Opie was right, it might even help his image if he fucked Juice. It would make clear that he wasn't coddling the boy. Bobby and Piney might be pissed, though. They would probably think he was taking advantage of Juice. Jax would have to make sure they knew he would never force the guy to do anything. Clay, on the other hand, would probably be all for it. Jax had the feeling that the president thought him weak and this would dispel the notion – provided he didn’t start bringing Juice flowers or something. But shit, what about his mom? Would she find out? Would she care? She didn’t know about his experiments with Opie, would she be mad that he’d do something like that? Jax honestly had no idea, though was she actually seemed to like Tig who was off the scale in his deviancy. But he was probably worrying about nothing, she likely wouldn’t even find out. It was club business and he sure as hell wouldn’t start bragging about it to her.

Next on his list was Tara. Was he cheating on her with Juice? Not really, he guessed, since they were taking a break at the moment. Some unease remained, though. He definitely would be pissed if Tara started to fool around with another guy – which was really telling considering they weren't together. But Juice wasn't another girl, he was, well, Juice. That didn’t count as cheating, right? He certainly wouldn't be mad if Tara cheated on him with a hot girl. But maybe he was having it all wrong anyway. Tara had pulled back and he honestly couldn't tell if she would be back. And if she came back, would she be all-in? He didn’t want to end up like Ope whose wife had realized years too late that she hated the life. Tara had left him out to dry so why the hell should her feelings matter for him at the moment? She had no claim to him, he could fuck whoever he wanted. Only his teenage crush made him even consider this shit and this was a weakness he really couldn't afford at the moment. Well, no more. If she came back, he would reconsider. Until then, he was free.

Last but not least, there was Juice himself. What was his deal? Originally, Jax had thought that Juice was a victim who had been forced to do these things. He never would have considered making a move on the guy. Jax had been certain that all Juice wanted was to be left in peace. He even had considered that the guy wasn't even gay – he hadn't looked gay to him – and the Mayans had just raped him in line. Stuff like that happened in prisons, so it hadn’t been that far-fetched. That was what Jax had thought, at least. After yesterday he wasn't so sure. Juice had come on to him pretty strongly – he was certain now that the massage had been just a pretext to get him naked – and why would he do that if he wasn't interested? Juice could have gotten into serious trouble for that if Jax hadn't liked it. And Jax didn't think he would be eager for more dicks in his ass when he had just broken free of pseudo-slavery – though that was hard to say if you hadn’t actually been in this situation.

The only explanation that made sense to him was that Juice was actually gay and eager for some dick – or at least Jax’s dick. If he was right about that, there would be nothing wrong with tapping Juice. He would have to handle Tara but he wouldn't let her control him any more than she already did. The question was, was he interested? Would he like some eager Puerto Rican sucking him dry whenever he wanted? Hell yeah, yesterday had been great. And then there was Juice’s ass. Jax had never done something like that but now the idea was very appealing. The way Juice had acted yesterday he might be even more eager for it than Jax was. Though the VP wondered why Juice hadn't at least tried to come himself. Maybe some damage from whatever shit the Mayans had done to him.

Jax would have to tell him that he could enjoy himself as well. He wouldn’t start blowing the guy or anything but Juice could at least jerk himself off or something. Jax massaged his hard dick through his boxer shorts. Jesus, just thinking these things turned him on. He guessed he would go to work early today.

He had some duties for Juice that couldn’t wait.

*   *   *   *   *

When Jax arrived at TM, he went straight to the clubhouse. It was empty when Jax got there, not counting the dozing Half-Sack who was supposed to be on guard duty tonight. "Nice work there, Sack," Jax said when he passed him.

Sack jerked awaked immediately, Jax had to give him credit for this at least. "Huh? What's going on?"

Jax snorted. "I am saving your top rocker. Make yourself useful and start with the coffee while I check on Juice."

The prospect nodded eagerly and Jax went on to the back, not sparing him any further glance.

Unlike Sack, Juice already was up which surprised Jax. He wouldn't have pegged the Puerto Rican for an early riser. Maybe Juice’s night had been cut short as well. When Jax entered, the boxer-clad Juice was just looking for a jeans to put on. He startled when the door opened and paused with jeans in hand. "Morning, Jax."

"Morning," Jax answered. He couldn't help ogling Juice's lean frame and the bulge in his shorts. Damn, the guy was big and it seemed to do things to the VP.

His interest didn't seem lost on Juice. The Puerto Rican smiled at him. "You like something you see, VP?"

This rank-pulling was getting Jax every time. Juice was getting pretty good in turning him on. "Maybe. But you are wearing too much."

Juice tossed the jeans. "Feel free to fix it."

Jax stepped closer, ran his hand across Juice’s bulge, hooked a finger into the waistband of the Puerto Rican’s boxers and shoved them down with one short push. His cock sprang free and the Juice stepped out of the boxers, leaving him fully naked for Jax to admire. The Puerto Rican was semi-hard and Jax loved the look. Here he was, all smooth and naked, eager for him to taste him. Jax bend down and did, ravaging Juice' mouth with his tongue. Juice moaned in surprise and kissed him back, first hesitant than eager. His hand slipped under Jax's shirt, softly moving up his chest. Jax started to feel that now he was wearing too much for his encounter. He took a step back and stripped his clothes off until he was bare-chested as well. The he closed in on Juice again and pushed him towards the bed until he fell down on his back with Jax on top of him, who was kissing every part of his skin he could reach. Juice was rock-hard now and Jax was getting really into it as well. His jeans was unbearably tight now, so he paused a moment to strip both them and his boxers off, getting back on top of Juice as soon as possible. His erection was grinding against Juice’s and Jax knew he needed more. "I want your ass," He breathed into Juice’s ear. "That okay with you?"

"Sure it is."

"How should we do this?" Jax asked.

Juice reached out for his duffle bag and took something out of it: Lube, Jax realized. The Puerto Rican passed it to Jax and spread his legs wide. "Put it on your dick and get in here quickly."

Jax smirked. Hearing someone beg for him never lost its appeal. But then a thought hit him. "Shouldn't I get a rubber?"

"You don't need one," Juice said. "I am clean, I made sure I got tested all the time. And I have only been with Esai in the last months."

The thought of doing him raw sure was appealing but Jax remained skeptical. "You sure about that?"

"Yes, I want you to feel good. Please, Jax."

Jax still thought it was a bit of a gamble but wasn’t going to argue with a begging Juice. He took the lube and gently put in on him, groaning at the contact. Being uncut, he didn't use it very often but now he wondered if he should reconsider that. Just gently moving his foreskin up and down made him arc in pleasure. When he was confident that he had lubed up enough he bent down and got into position. He would have expected Juice to want more preparation but he guessed the little guy knew better. "Okay?"

Juice nodded. "Yeah. Don't worry, I can take everything you give."

"Oh yeah? That's quite a promise, Juicy. Let's find out."

He pushed in. There was some resistance but after some persistence he started to slip. Damn, that was tight! Initially, he wasn't sure he would get all the way in but slowly he sunk to the hilt. There was a look of intense concentration on Juice's face but no sign of any pain. Jax bent forward and nuzzled his ear. "Feels great, Juice."

"Glad you like it," Juice groaned. "Now move before I know I lose my mind."

Jax gave him his brightest grin and started to move. The pace was slow and careful, partly because he didn't want to hurt Juice, partly because he was afraid he was going to come immediately if he moved too much. Between his thrusts he tasted as much of Juice as he could, feeling rather proud of the Puerto Rican’s hard erection that was grinding against his stomach at every step. He was so focused on Juice that he didn't notice the door open until Half-Sack spoke. "Coffee is ready, Jax, I....oh, sorry."

"Bad timing, Sack," Jax gasped without slowing down.

The prospect stopped gaping at them and turned bright red. "Yeah, sorry," he said and closed the door behind him.

"Idiot," Jax muttered and turned his attention back to Juice. He upped the pace a bit, drawing a long moan from the little guy.

"So close, Jax," the Puerto Rican muttered. "More."

Not one to be asked twice, Jax gave him another sharp thrust and felt Juice clench around him. The extra friction send him over the top as well, letting him come deep inside of Juice. He groaned and collapsed on top of Juice, feeling the Puerto Rican’s warm seed on his stomach. Jax caught his breath for a moment then rolled to the side on his back, not wanting to squash Juice. "Shit", he said. "That was intense."

"Yeah, it was," Juice agreed. He looked flushed and spent but happy enough, Jax guessed. "Let me clean you up."

Before Jax could ask what he meant, Juice bent over and started to lick the semen from Jax's abs. It tickled and Jax squirmed a bit at the touch but Juice was persistent. And it was hot enough that Jax was letting it happen. Damn, why had he ever thought that the guy wasn't into dick? He was so into it, it was embarrassing. "Good to see you clean up after yourself," Jax said when Juice had finished and raised his head again.

Juice gave him a grin. "I like things tidy."

"I can see that. Never seen this room look so clean before. This rate Gemma won't have to tidy up anytime soon." He swung his legs over the bed and stood up. "Anyway, I better check on Sack. Thanks, Juice. You clean up, get yourself some breakfast and then continue were you were yesterday. I will try to get you some money for new parts in Church today."

Juice nodded. Jax gave him a last kiss on the shaved head and started to get dressed.

*   *   *   *   *

To Jax's surprise, nobody commented on him emerging from Juice’s room. He had expected the whole club to know by now – Sack was not known for either his discretion or common sense – but it seemed like he had given the prospect too little credit. Not that Jax would have minded too much – though it did make him uncomfortable to think about Clay or his mom knowing about him banging another guy –, but he preferred it that way. He had enough drama in his life. When he was pulling on his TM overalls he saw Ope who looked pretty down about something. "Morning, Ope. You okay?"

"More or less," Ope grunted. "Tried to reach out to Donna, wanted to talk some sense into her but she wouldn't even take my call. How the hell am I supposed to fix things like that?"

"You just have to give her some time to cool off," Jax said, who felt like he was saying the same goddamn thing over and over. "And you should stop chasing after her, it only makes you seem weak. Give her time, cool your head and once you have both calmed down you can find a solution. She will probably see then that you staying in the club is a good thing."

That was what Jax hoped at least. The thought of Opie leaving SAMCRO and disappearing from his life was almost impossible to bear. That he could do nothing to prevent this made him more than a bit nervous. Opie nodded sadly. "I know chasing after her won't help. But it is just hard to stand back and wait for her. Must be hard for you as well, waiting for Tara to get her head out of her ass."

"Yeah, but I manage," Jax said who had not thought about Tara for most of this morning. Juice's ass had been a pretty good distraction.

Opie raised an eyebrow at his nonchalant answer and Jax realized that he probably needed to explain himself now. Just then Sack joined them, already dressed for work. "Hey, Jax. I just wanted to say I am sorry for banging in on you like that. I wasn't trying to catch a glimpse or anything, I..."

"It’s okay, Sack," Jax said quickly, not wanting to talk about this now.

"And I won't spread it around, either," Sack rambled on, apparently not realizing that he just dug Jax’s grave deeper.

"Good to know. Listen, I got some things to discuss with Ope."

"Oh, sure, I will see you then," Sack said and went back to the car he was supposed to be working on.

"You dog," Opie said.

Jax turned his head to see a very dirty grin his best friend’s face. "What?"

"You tapped that pretty Puerto Rican ass, didn't you? And Sack either caught you or joined in, I am not sure about the last one."

"He just barged in," Jax said, figuring it was pointless to deny. And if anyone would understand it was Opie. "And, yes, I did."

Opie clapped him on the shoulder. "Good for you, you little perv. Figured there was something up if you could forget Tara so easily. How was it?"

"Awesome. I see now why Alvarez said he was worth his while. His mouth was great, his ass even more so. At the risk of giving too much information."

"I can handle this stuff," Opie said and Jax had the impression he might be handling it a little too well. "So what changed your mind? I thought you weren't sold on banging Juice."

"I wasn't but it seemed like it wasn’t my decision to make anyway."

"What does that mean? Did Clay force you?"

"No, god, no. It was Juice himself. I went to talk to him after our workout yesterday and when he noticed how sore I was, he offered me a massage to loosen me up. I agreed. Then one thing led to another and before I knew what was happening he was sucking me off."

"Shit, Jax. Sometime I wonder if we are all co-stars in your very personal porn flick."

"So you will fluff me in the downtimes then?" Jax asked, unable to resist the bait.

"I think I will leave it to your new Puerto Rican boy toy. So Juice had a thing for your dick, very convenient."

"What can I say Ope? I can’t help being so hot."

"No but you could try not to enjoy it that much,” Opie said. He hesitated. "You think I can..."

Chibs interrupted them, yelling over from the yard. "Jackieboy, Ope, get your sorry asses out here before I get Clay to spank you."

They both laughed and went outside to meet Chibs.

*   *   *   *  *

Juice took the day to finish the necessary reinstallations and to create a list of software and hardware he would have to get. He also reached out for Dion to set up a new pipeline for burner phones. The guy was eager as usual, though he seemed to expect Juice to pay with his ass – as he had done in the past for the components he needed off the record. Juice made clear that this was not happening and after some haggling they agreed on a rate that was acceptable. Juice would have to run it by Jax but it was a good price and he guessed it would be fine. He wondered if he eventually could get them burner smart phones. It was unlikely – they were expensive, flashy and opened more possible avenues for tracking – but it would be nice to have a phone that didn't look like it was from the nineties. Not that it would matter for him personally. There was hardly anyone he could call, anyway, unless he was looking for guys to put a dick in his ass. And he had more than enough of those just here in the clubhouse.

Speaking of dicks in his butt, he was surprised that until now nobody had even commented on him sleeping with Jax. Granted, he had hardly talked to anyone – just to Bobby during breakfast and lunch to thank him for keeping him fed – so he couldn't really say what the rest of the club was thinking. Was it possible that they didn't know? Half-Sack had clearly seen them but maybe he hadn’t dared to tell anyone. But Jax hadn't seemed ashamed at all, so the prospect didn’t really have a reason to stay quiet. It was hard to say without more information about the inner workings of the Sons. Well, he guessed time would tell.

He wrapped things up around three in the afternoon and went outside to do some working out on his own. Originally he hadn’t cared for any kind of physical activity but once Esai had more or less forced him to start pumping iron, he had grown to like it. At the moment nobody was around at this part of the clubhouse, so he could work out without looking like a meat buffet for everyone around. Though he wouldn't mind Jax to fuck him on the bench if the VP wanted him to. He stripped off his shirt and started with pull-ups like Jax had done yesterday.

He was halfway through his workout when he realized he wasn’t alone anymore. He turned around and saw Jax and Opie watching him, both still dressed in their TM overalls. Jax looked amused while Opie looked positively ravenous. They were talking to each other but Juice could not hear what they were saying. It was starting to make him nervous.

Then Jax slapped Opie on the shoulder and approached Juice. "Hey, how’s it going?"

"Good," Juice said, finishing his set of bench presses and sitting up. "I got the list with all the hard- and software and I set up a new pipeline of burner phones."

"Good work." Jax hesitated for a moment and ran his hand through his hair. "Look, I have a favor to ask. You see Ope over there? His wife just bailed on him and took the kids with him for not leaving the club on her behalf. He just spoke to her and it isn’t going well."

"Sorry to hear that," Juice said, not really seeing the connection. He knew pretty much nothing about women and really wasn’t the best guy to ask for marriage advice. "Anything I can do to help?"

"Actually you can," Jax said, looking guilty for a moment. "Look, I may have overshared with Opie and now the guy wants a taste as well. Just to blow off some steam. Do you mind helping him out? I wouldn't have asked yesterday but you seem into this stuff and Opie isn’t that bad looking so I thought you could do it. I really would appreciate it."

Shit, talk about a rock and a hard place. Juice really wanted to get on Jax’s good side and helping his best friend would probably help with that. But at the same time, he didn’t want to be seen as some kind of male crow eater who could be passed around like a joint. Still, refusing Jax seemed like a very bad idea, considering the hopeful look on the VP’s face. He was just starting to get on his good side, he didn’t want to blow it all by backing out now. Not like he hadn’t done anything like that before and Jax was right, Opie was not bad looking at all. "Okay, I guess."

Jax beamed at him. "Great, thanks." He turned to Opie. "He's all yours. But be nice to him."

"I will," Opie said. He moved closer to Juice and motioned him to get on his feet. Juice carefully did and decided to show some initiative for Jax’s benefit. He bent up – the height difference was really making this harder than it should be – and gently kissed Opie, ignoring the stinging from his beard. The action seemed to stir Opie. He roughly kissed him back, his hands wandering over Juice’s naked torso, before slipping into his jeans and palming his cock. Opie gasped and broke the kiss just when Juice’s neck was starting to hurt.

"Why didn’t you tell me he has a huge cock?" Opie said, turning to Jax.

"He has?" Jax asked, a mischievous smile on his lips. "I thought it was just normal. Not tiny like yours, Ope."

"Very funny," Opie growled. "Maybe I should shove my tiny dick in your ass and see how you like it."

"I think I will let Juice handle this one. But I should probably give you guys some privacy. I will finish up the blue BMW and grab a smoke while you guys have fun."

"Okay," Opie said, focusing on Juice again. "Let’s do this."

Juice looked around nervously. "Shouldn’t we go inside?"

"No one here but us. And I don’t mind anyone watching. Undress me."

Juice wasn’t convinced but it wasn’t his place to question Opie in any case. So helped Opie out of his overalls, shirt and cut, placing them over a nearby squat rack for lack of a better place. Opie pulled his jeans, shoes and socks off by himself, quickly followed by his boxers. His dick was rock hard, Juice noted, and it didn’t look tiny to him at all. Maybe average in length but definitely thicker than average – or than Jax, for that matter. Cut but with some movement and the frenulum intact. Good, he could work with that.

"Enough staring," Opie said. "Suck me off."

He pushed Juice to his knees who opened wide, took him in his mouth and got busy. Juice settle in a quick rhythm that had Opie bucking into his mouth soon. He was rougher than Jax had been, his hands on Juice's head to egg him on. Just when Juice was sure he was making the guy come, Opie pushed him off. "Not yet, I want to come in your ass."

He yanked Juice to his feet and pushed him backwards on the bench press. On his way down, the back of Juice’s head connected with the resting bar, making him hiss in pain. Stars erupted in his vision and for a moment he did not know what was happening. Then his vision cleared – though a throbbing pain in his head remained – and he saw Opie looking down on him with an expression of pure lust. "Turn over," he said to Juice.

Juice did, exposing his back to Opie. The bigger man started to tuck on his jeans and Juice helped him get them off. It wouldn't help anyone, if Opie ripped his jeans in his haste. The big man smiled when he saw that Juice wore nothing underneath. "That eager, hm? Seems like Jax was right: you are an eager slut, aren't you?"

That was honestly hard to say but Juice wouldn’t dare to object. It was clear that Ope was looking for a rough, angry fuck, giving him any lip would only result in him getting clogged in the face. "I wanted to be ready, just in case Jax wanted me again."

"I am sure he will appreciate it," Opie said. "Now, let’s get to that ass."

He pushed Juice down onto the bench. Juice was lucky he wasn't hard yet otherwise his dick would be in serious pain right now. He felt Opie settling on the bench behind him. It was pretty uncomfortable but he thought he would manage. Then he felt the other man's dick at his ass and froze. "Wait," he said. "You need some lube."

"Already thought of that," Opie said. "You shut up."

Juice did, knowing better than to argue. He heard Opie fumble with a bottle and it didn’t take long for him to feel the dick pressing against his hole. Opie gave a grunt and shoved it in without further hesitation. Juice suppressed a hiss. It had been easy with Jax but Opie was thicker and had either used not enough lube or the wrong kind – if he had used lube at all and not motor oil. He gave Juice no time to get used to the penetration but rather pile drove him into the bench, his massive bulk slamming into Juice’s back with every step. Like Jax, he went for his neck but unlike the VP he was rough and used a lot of teeth. All about dominance. It wasn’t comfortable but Juice felt the effect. He was hard by now, his erection scraping against the hard bench beneath him. "Say you are mine," Opie growled.

"I am yours," Juice said immediately.

That seemed to spur Opie on even further. He upped the pace and Juice guessed he would come soon. To his surprise, Opie reached around and wrapped a hand around Juice’s cock, quickly jerking him off. Both were getting close now and soon Juice felt his seed inside of him. He followed quickly, coming over the bench and the big man’s fingers. Opie pulled out, leaving Juice panting on the bench. "Damn", he said, obviously winded. "That was great."

Juice couldn't quite say the same. It had been okay – he had gotten off after all – but quite too rough for his taste. His ass ached – though he guess it would be fine in a few hours – and he felt rather squashed by Opie’s weight. And of course, his head now hurt like a bitch. When he saw Opie bending down for his jeans – giving Juice a good view on his admittedly nice ass – he started to get up, wincing a bit at the movement. Opie noticed. "Shit, your head, right?" he said. "I am so sorry, Juice. I got carried away."

"It’s okay," Juice said. "It was an accident."

"Still, I should have known better. Can I get you some aspirin or something?"

"It's okay, let's just move on and get decent again. Unless you want the rest of the club to watch."

"That didn't take long," Jax’s voice drawled, making Juice realize that they weren’t alone.

He turned his head and saw Jax swaggering over, apparently finished with both the car he was working on and his smoke. "You good, bro?" Jax asked Opie.

"Yeah," the big man said. "He really is quite price."

"Told you," Jax said and went over to Juice. "You okay, little guy? I hope Opie wasn't too rough with you."

His concern seemed genuine to Juice who got some new hope for his plan. "Nah, it was okay. I am tougher than I look."

"I guess you are," Jax said. "Come on. Get dressed and let’s close up the shop. Once we are done you can give me your list of parts. I will take care of it in Church afterwards."


	5. Revelations

Juice was thinking hard when he was helping Jax close up the shop, despite the throbbing pain in his head. How was his plan doing at the moment? It was hard to say, really. Jax seemed nice enough and seemed to enjoy his time with Juice very much but the Puerto Rican worried about the fling with Opie. Was Jax planning to make a habit out of that? Juice didn't mind getting fucked by Ope for a time – provided he didn’t get his head caved in every time – but if this went any further he would become the fuck toy of the club which was exactly what he had wanted to avoid. He needed to pull Jax deeper as quick as possible. He had to find out if the VP had a jealous streak and possibly try to trigger it – Jesus, this didn't sound like him at all. Well, desperate times and all that.

"I can see you thinking from here," Jax said and Juice realized that he was looking at him. "What's going on in this big brain of yours?"

"Oh, I am just thinking how to setup the hardware correctly," Juice lied, hoping he didn't sound as nervous as he felt.

If Jax noticed something was up, he didn't show it. "Right, this reminds me, I still need that list for Church. In writing, please. Bobby will probably want to check if all the numbers add up."

"Right, sure. I got it in my room," Juice said. At least he hoped so, he had a habit of misplacing his things.

"Then let’s get it."

Juice followed him into the back, wondering if Jax had some other things in mind. When they arrived, he saw the list lying on his bedside table and was pleasantly surprised by his memory. "There it is."

Jax went to fetch it and Juice gave him some time to scan the list by reordering the stack of book he planned to read. When he turned back to Jax he was surprised to see that the VP was not looking at the list at all but rather at a small photograph in his hand. He recognized it immediate: it was the picture of Esai Alvarez had let him keep in an unusual act of kindness.

"Jax…" Juice began.

Jax turned and looked at him, suddenly serious. "Did you love him?"

"Why do you ask?"

"Just humor me, Juice." Jax said and Juice was pretty sure he did not want to argue about this.

"I…it's hard to say. He was just as bad as the others at first and made me do things I really did not want to do but it got better eventually. He started to care about me and kept me safe from the others. I couldn’t help being grateful for this. I don't know if it was love – if it was, it was a pretty fucked up version of it – but there was something there. I was hard for me when he suddenly died."

Juice blinked and was surprised to find that he had tears in his eyes. Jax looked at him with pity in his eyes. "Shit, I am such an asshole, Juice. I never should have done this when you just lost your boyfriend. Especially since we are the reason he is gone."

"What?" Juice asked, suddenly alarmed.

"I think you deserve the truth: We killed Esai. It was retaliation for him trying to kill Clay, necessary but not really personal. The alternative was all-out war, so Alvarez had signed off on it. Once Esai was dead, I guess he didn't want you around as a reminder for what happened to his son. This would be my explanation for why he kicked you out."

Cold spread in Juice’s veins at the thought of Alvarez callously sacrificing his son. "Did you kill Esai?"

Jax shook his head. "Happy did. From what he told me it was quick and clean. I doubt Esai suffered."

"Shit," Juice said, feeling the tears in his eyes again. Knowing all the details about Esai’s death made it much harder.

"Maybe I should go," Jax said who actually looked guilty. "Give you some time to think."

"No!" Juice said immediately. He needed Jax close. It was admirable that he wanted to give Juice space but this wouldn’t help. Keeping him safe might help. "I mean, I'm okay. Please, I would like you to stay. It helps being close to someone. Then I don't feel so alone."

Jax gaze softened and he pulled Juice into a hug. "This better?"

"Yeah," Juice said. He felt his control crumple and started sobbing into Jax's arms. The VP didn't pull back but rather held him, whispering softly to him. "It’s okay, Juice, it's okay."

Between the soft words and Jax reassuring bulk around him, Juice slowly pulled himself back together. Once he could focus again he was highly embarrassed by his meltdown. What would Jax think? "Sorry" he whispered. "Didn't want to be a drama queen."

"It's okay", Jax said. He kissed the top of Juice's head. "Anything else I can do?"

Shit, why the hell was he so nice to him? Juice didn't think he deserved it. "There is one thing." He bent up and kissed Jax, first slowly then hungrier.

"Still feeling lonely?" Jax asked with a smile when they parted.

"I know something that could help," Juice said, putting on of his hands on Jax groin.

"Gotta hurry," the VP said. "Church starts soon."

"That’s not a problem," Juice said. "I can suck you off in less than minute."

"Tempting but I think I will have your ass."

Juice smiled. "Then go for it, VP."

"It’s okay? You are not sore or something?"

"Trust me, I can take a lot more."

Jax did not need more encouragement and started to pull on Juice’s clothes. In no time they were both naked and on Juice’s bed. This time, Jax scooped him into his arms and spooned him from behind. He quickly slipped inside of Juice, giving him a slow, soft pace. Juice guessed this reluctance was a nod to his emotional state and could appreciate it. Jax softly nibbled at whatever parts of his head he could reach and one of his hands was closing around Juice’s cock, slowly jerking him off in sync with his movements. All this affection had Juice coming in no time and it didn’t take long for Jax to follow suit. He pulled out and laid on his back, an arm around Juice. The Puerto Rican turned around and cuddled into Jax’s broad chest. The VP smiled at him and softly stroked the back of Juice’s head. "You okay?"

"Yeah," Juice breathed. "You?"

"Oh, I’m perfect," Jax drawled. "Though it’s been a while since I have been Ope’s sloppy second."

"You mind?" Juice asked, wondering if Jax would be angry.

"With Ope? No. I actually considered joining you two."

Juice’s dick gave a twitch by that. He didn’t like getting shared in general but this setup sounded very hot. Him sandwiched between Jax and Ope, their hard bodies around him…shit this mental picture was not good for his composure. Jax gave him a dirty grin which made him pretty sure he had noticed his interest. "Good to see you don’t seem to mind either. I was worried I had pushed you into taking care of Ope. I’m glad I was wrong."

Juice considered saying something but before he could figure out what to say someone banged on the door. "Jax?" Opie’s voice called. "We are at the table."

"Coming," Jax said. He turned to Juice. "Duty calls."

He gave Juice one more kiss and stood up to get dressed.

*   *   *   *   *

"I got your money," Jax said to Juice half an hour later who was just busying himself cleaning up the clubhouse. That strictly speaking wasn't his job but without new hardware there was nothing he could do anymore and the mess was making him nervous. Besides nobody could complain about a bit more cleanliness here.

"Great," he said, wiping the counter one more time. There, now it looked only ten years old rather than fifty. "When can I get the stuff?"

"Tomorrow morning. I will head up to St. Thomas and see my kid, so I will send Sack to babysit you. He can drive and help you transport everything. He will have the money – or at least most of it. I got a bit for you as well."

He stuffed a bundle of bills in Juice’s hands. It had been a long time since Juice had had money for himself and he had to resist the impulse to immediately hide it. "You can get something for yourself with it." the VP said. "Some clothes, some new tech if it isn't too expensive – or maybe some sex toys."

"You would like that wouldn’t you?" Juice asked.

Jax gave him a dirty grin. "I got all the equipment I need right here. But I wouldn’t want you feeling lonely when I'm not around."

Juice thought this wasn't a problem. "I’m sure Ope will be able to help with that.”

”At least until Donna is back," Jax said. "Anyway, I will head out. See you tomorrow."

*   *   *   *   *

Jax felt himself smile when he watched Abel squirm in his incubator the next morning. The guy looked so much better by now. Jax still remembered how sick he had felt when he had first seen his son. He had been so sure that the boy wouldn’t make it and had never been gladder to be wrong. Though his feelings might change when he took Abel home with him. Babies were supposed to be a lot of trouble and he had to take care of the guy on his own since Wendy couldn't even take care of herself. His mom would certainly help but Jax knew it wouldn't be the same as having a real partner. Of course there was still Tara.

Tara. She was probably around here somewhere. What was she doing? Was she busy saving lives or was she thinking about him? Was she still freaking out about the Kohn situation? Jax had already left it way behind but he guessed he couldn’t expect her to do the same. She didn't have any experience with seriously breaking the law and definitely had never killed before. She was probably terrified of getting caught and disgusted with herself. Which was understandable but still pretty annoying to him. If she was a prospect, he would tell her to grow some balls but of course she wasn't so this likely wasn't a good idea. And maybe it was him who was the problem. Being so cold about the thing didn't paint him in the best light.

Maybe he should go and talk to her while he was already here. But what was he supposed to say? Ask her whether she had gotten a grip already? Somehow he didn't think that would work out too well. He really had said all he could say in their last conversation, anything else he could say to reassure her would be a lie. And Jax didn’t want to pull her into the life by lies. Maybe lies of omission but not outright lies. It wouldn’t be fair to her and would probably set him up for disaster later. Then he would end up like Opie whose wife had gotten cold feet after two kids and over five years of marriage. Nah, he really didn't need this. If Tara wanted to be part of his life she would have to make the next step. Not like he was hard to find.

Besides, he didn’t want to seem it like he was chasing her and didn’t care for the fact he was thinking so much about his old flame. Had to be all those teenage memories, he would never waste so much thought on a crow eater. Good thing he had Juice as a distraction. The guy was scarily good at taking his mind of him. If Tara came back into his life, he would probably put an end to it – and hope that she never found out about this side of him – but he would cross that bridge when he got there. For now, he would continue things with Juice and wait for Tara to get her head straight.

He gave Abel one last smile before turning around and starting to leave the hospital. He thought he saw Tara out of the corner of his eyes once but he ignored it and kept walking. He had other things to take care of.

*   *   *   *   *

The drive to the store was pretty interesting and Juice enjoyed it despite the persisting pain in the back of his head. He had not left the clubhouse since his arrival in Charming and was eager to find out what his new home looked like. It seemed like a sleepy little town, almost nostalgic in its appearance. It was hard to believe that a hardcore biker gang like the Sons was based here. Charming looked pretty nice, though tiny for a big city kid like Juice.

"Sorry about banging in on you and Jax," Sack said, breaking the silence. "I really didn't plan this."

"That's okay, Sack," Juice said. "I really don't mind. You could have stayed and watched for all I cared."

Sack actually blushed which Juice found adorable. "So...err...you really like this kind of stuff?"

"Driving shotgun?" Juice asked, deliberately misunderstanding. "It's okay, the way I have time to think."

"No, having sex with another guy, I mean."

"Are you asking me if I'm gay?"

"I guess, kinda."

"Hm, that's actually a good question," Juice mused. It was a pretty personal question but he felt safe with Sack. Juice was pretty sure that the guy was harmless. Jax was pretty nice as well but Juice always had to moderate carefully what he said to him since he needed the VP for his plan. With Sack, there was no such pressure and he could be pretty open. "By the time I came to the Mayans I had had a girlfriend once and only jerked off to gay porn a few times – I thought I was just being curious. Of course, that didn’t last. At first, I wasn’t pleased but when I look back, I have to admit that I liked some of it. Not everything, God no, but some. Enough to make me reconsider my orientation. Now, I have only been with guys for years, I probably wouldn’t know what to do, if a girl would come onto me now – not that this is likely to happen anytime soon."

Sack looked at him in horror and Juice didn't care for that look. "Hey, relax. It is not as bad as it sounds."

Sack didn’t seem to think so but didn't argue the point. "What brought you to the Mayans in the first place?"

"Bad judgment. I'm originally from New York. Not the best of childhood but it was okay, even though my real dad walked out on us almost immediately. Had a step-dad for a while but he and my mom didn’t work out despite having a kid together. He left eventually and took my half-brother with him. Not much else to say otherwise, until I got into hacking during my teens. It seemed like a good idea to make some money on the side, even if it wasn't strictly legal. I had the plan of going to a good college – maybe Stanford or even the MIT – but I knew my mother could never afford it. This was my way to get the money, at least it seemed like a good idea at the time. Well, after I got my feet wet I got this really lucrative offer: I should try to hack into a computer and erase some files my employer wanted gone. It seemed pretty easy, it was just a private computer, not like hacking into the Pentagon or anything. I did and it worked like a charm. At least, that was what I thought. A week later my employer turned up dead, his body burned to a crisp. Word on the street was that he had laundered money for a local faction of the Russian mob only to skim some for himself. The files I destroyed had to be evidence for his corruption. I knew I was in deep shit at this time. It was very possible that his bosses knew about me and would want to get even. I obviously couldn't go the police, so I ran. A friend said he knew some bikers who could make me disappear."

"The Mayans," Sack supplied.

"Originally just an allied club. I paid them off and got passed around in MCs – not sexually, though – until they got me safely to the Mayans in California, where I could lay low until the heat died off. It was pretty exciting and I really thought I would be safe there. And I was until the money ran out."

Juice stopped, not really wanting to go into the details of his turn of fortune. Kip looked thoughtful for a moment – a rather unusual look on his face – and said nothing. Juice was just taking a sip from a water bottle when the prospect spoke again. "So are you always the bottom?"

"What?" Juice sputtered, choking on his water.

"Don't make me say it again," Sack said, turning a dangerous looking red.

Juice wondered what this guy’s deal was but it was not his place to question any of the Sons, even if it was just the prospect. "I always was in the past, nobody was interested in letting me top."

"But you would like to?"

"Not sure, really. I would probably do it, if somebody asked it of me but I am not sure I would seek it on my own. I didn't really miss it and it can be very nice to have somebody pound you into next week. "

Sack turned even brighter red and Juice was suddenly glad they were just driving into the parking lot. If he went any further, he would probably give the guy a seizure. Fortunately, Sack was apparently wise enough not to continue the discussion in public and turned pretty normal once the first shock had worn off. Then Juice was neck-deep in hardware and too busy to give the prospect much thought. Good tech never failed to amaze him and for a moment he really felt happy and free again. He pretty much tore through the place and grabbed the needed components in record time. Sack had quite trouble keeping up with him. Juice’s enthusiasm waned when they had to carry the huge amount of stuff into the van and back to the clubhouse. At least they got through the ride without further awkward questions. Sack seemed rather distant and thoughtful again and Juice was too busy thinking about how to put the parts together to disturb him.

Sack helped him get everything into the clubhouse where Juice was turning one of the unused office rooms into his personal workshop. He immediately began gathering the components for the first new desktop his was going to assemble, while Sack went to check in with Jax, probably about the money they had spent. Juice had gotten them a pretty good deal but it had still been a few thousand dollars. "All settled in?" Sack asked when he came back a few minutes later.

Juice nodded. "I will probably need a few days to set everything up but trust me, it will be worth it. You guys won't believe your eyes once I am done."

"I am not sure I will see the difference," Sack said. "I am not good with computers."

"Trust me, a blind person would see it."

Sack hesitated for a moment. "Jax said, he gave you some money to buy things with and said I should drive you to town if you wanted me too."

"Good idea," Juice said. He noticed that they could have gotten his stuff while they were in town but he had been too distracted by Half-Sack’s questions to make this connection. "I could use some new clothes, a few odds and ends. Should we go now?"

"Yeah, but I have to bounce something off you first."

"Okay, what is it?"

"Not here," Sack said, looking nervous. "Come with me."

Slightly puzzled, Juice followed Sack back through the clubhouse and was surprised to see that the prospect was leading him to his room. He stepped inside, Juice followed him and Sack immediately closed the door behind them. "What are you doing?"

"I wanted some time alone with you," Sack said, looking rather nervous but determined.

"What for?" Juice started to ask but then Sack was already upon him, kissing him softly, almost hesitantly. Juice smiled. So, this was what this was about. He should have known after all the questions Sack had asked. They parted a moment later. "I guess I whet your appetite earlier with my stories. Did Jax sign off on that?"

"He said that I deserve a reward for taking care of you and if it is cool with you, it is cool with him. Is it cool?"

Juice pondered this. He genuinely liked Sack – even if he wasn't nearly as hot as Jax – and wanted to do him a favor but a lot of people were starting to line up for his ass and he hadn't done what he had to get passed around like that. But he guessed taking care of Sack wasn't go to make one hell of a difference. The guy had been nice to him, he could at last suck him off or something. And maybe Jax would like it too. Shit, maybe the guy would even join them. "I guess, what did you want?"

Sack looked suddenly nervous. "I’m not sure."

This took Juice off guard. Usually his partners knew very well what they wanted and he just had to comply quickly enough. Seemed like Sack was the exception to this rule. Did he expect him to take charge here? Shit, Juice had no idea if he could do that. But he couldn’t really leave Sack hanging so he guessed he would just try to emulate what Jax was doing – though he would turn down the cockiness a few notches, it wouldn't do to bruise Sack’s ego. "That’s okay, I got you. Come here."

Sack stepped forward and Juice kissed him, now much firmer than before. He slowly grew bolder and started to properly make out with the guy, still in charge for once. He slipped Sack’s cut off and then stepped back to pull his shirt over his head, leaving Half-Sack bare-chested. Juice took some time to see what his new lover had to over. It was pretty nice. Sack wasn't ripped like Jax or huge like Opie but he had a decent body, young and firm. Juice wondered what his junk would look like especially since he knew where his nick-name came from.

"Pants off," Juice said.

The prospect nodded eagerly and started to fumble with his belt. Juice took the time to take his own shirt off, giving Sack a good look at his well-defined chest. He stripped down to his boxers as well, very much liking the way Sack’s eyes were glued on his groin.

"Show me." He said, clearly meaning Juice’s dick.

"Nah, I want to have a look first," Juice said. He didn’t care that much but it seemed like something Jax would say. Sack nodded meekly and started to take his boxers off. Once naked, he stood still, exposing himself to Juice who did a quick assessment. Sack’s cock was pretty average – if nicely formed – and cut like Opie's had been. The missing ball definitely showed but Juice didn’t mind. More important was that the prospect was rock-hard for him. Apparently, he indeed liked being ordered around a bit more than he should. Well, Juice could give him more of that if he needed it.

He walked over to his bed and lay down on it. "Come here, Sack."

Half-Sack carefully got on the bed and climbed on top of Juice. He showed some initiative again and started to make out with him. His hand squeezed Juice’s dick through his boxers. "Can I see it now? Jax told me you had a huge cock."

Juice felt rather flattered by this. "Okay, feel free to check under the hood."

The prospect quickly tugged on Juice’s boxers and the Puerto Rican lifted his ass so he could pull them off. Once they were gone, Sack paused to have a good look at Juice's crotch. The Puerto Rican managed not to get self-conscious at the inspection. He knew he could be proud of this part of his body. He wished he was hard though, it might make Sack feel appreciated. But the prospect seemed interested just as well. He got closer and ran a hand over the smooth skin around Juice’s dick. "How big does it get?"

"Big," Juice said. "Do you want me to jerk off? Get hard for you?"

"I will do it." Sack said and wrapped a hand around his dick. Carefully, almost reverently he started to move the foreskin up and down, coaxing just the tiniest whimper from Juice. He Puerto Rican could barely remember a time when somebody had completely focused on his pleasure. Even Esai had usually just fucked him – though well enough that Juice had enjoyed it most of the time. But he found he enjoyed this very much as well and the tender movements got him fully hard quickly. "Jesus," Sack breathed when he saw the fully erect cock. "How can it be that big?"

"Jax is pretty much the same size," Juice volunteered.

"I am starting to feel inadequate here," Sack said with a smile. He gave Juice one more stroke then moved closer and suddenly took him in his mouth. Juice gasped in surprise and watched Sack starting to suck him off. His technique could be better but that didn’t matter in that case. The novelty of someone sucking him off was so powerful, Juice was sure he wouldn’t last long regardless of skill. Feeling bold, he tangled a hand in Sack’s locks and started to gently push him down a bit further down his shaft. "Just like that, Sack. Come on, make me come."

Sack gave something of a grunt and from his hard cock Juice could see that the prospect was totally into it as well which turned Juice on even more. Soon he was sure that he would not last much longer. "Gonna come, Sack."

The prospect pulled off and wrapped his hand around Juice's dick one more. A few fast strokes later, Juice came all over his stomach and Sack’s fingers. The prospect hesitated for a moment then pushed them into Juice’s mouth. Juice eagerly licked them clean and smiled when Sack pulled them out afterwards. "You liked that?" the prospect asked.

"Yeah, thanks. Long time since somebody has done that for me."

"I just had to try. That dick looked too tempting."

"Speaking of dicks. Time for me to take care of you. I bet I only need a minute to get you off."

Sack raised an eyebrow. "Tall tale. Let's see if it its true."

Juice gave him a big grin and flipped them around so he was back on top. He hadn’t lied, he was sure that he could get the prospect off that quickly. Good movement, proper pressure on what remained of Sack's frenulum, some jerking moving in addition, easy as pie. With one look at his watch he started. He had still a few seconds to spare when Sack gave a shout and came into his mouth. Juice swallowed and let the dick fell out again. He grinned back up at Sack. "What did I tell you?"

Sack just looked at him with a dazed expression on his face and Juice had to laugh. He moved up and lay on his back next to the prospect. "You okay, Sack? I hope I didn’t break anything."

"I’m good, it was just…intense."

Juice chuckled. "Guess all my experience is starting to pay off."

"I guess," Sack said. He looked thoughtful for a moment. "You think we can do this again sometime? I have something I wanna try."

"Stuffing your dick in my ass?" Juice supplied.

"Stuffing yours in my ass."

Juice stared at him in utter disbelief. "Are you serious?"

"You don’t have to if you don’t want to."

"No, no, I’m just surprised that’s all. It’s not really my specialty but I can try."

"Thanks", Sack said. "I've wanted to try that for a long time and you are the first guy I feel safe enough to do so. I actually debated asking Jax after I saw you two but I feared that the club would never let me patch in, if they knew. Please don’t tell anyone about this, okay?"

"Okay," Juice said. He doubted he could keep the secret if Jax would ask him but he was no reason why the VP would do this.

"Thanks," Sack said. "I should get dressed and get the van ready."

"I will be right behind you," Juice said who laid back for a moment, catching some rest. He watched Sack get dressed with interest, already wondering what it would be like to fuck him. Shit, he had to be careful with that, if he accidently tried this with Jax the VP would have his ass – and not in a good way. Once he was decent again, Sack opened the door, revealing Bobby who apparently had just wanted to come inside. From his position, Bobby head a clear view of the naked Juice and that fact that Sack was just pulling his cut on made it obvious what had happened. For some reason, the older man looked extremely pissed.

"Oh you gotta be shitting me!"


	6. Jealousy

Half-Sack had barely time to process Bobby’s sudden appearance before the older member seized him by the neck and hauled him out towards the main room of the like a cat dragging a kitten.

"Ow, ow," Sack said, "what the fuck are doing?"

"I should fucking ask you that!" Bobby hissed, looking more furious than Sack had ever seen him. He released him with a lot of force, causing the prospect to stumble back a bit before he could catch himself. He noticed that they now had an audience. Opie and Chibs were looking up from their game of pool and both Clay and Tig were watching them from the bar. Bobby didn't seem to care though. "We said that nobody touches the boy. Why the hell did your think you could tap that?"

Shit, shit, shit, they had said that? All Sack knew that Jax ran everything when it came to Juice and that you shouldn't do anything without asking him first. Had he screwed this up? He hadn't been in the meeting in which they had set the rules so there was no way to be sure. "What? I thought it was fine, I asked Jax and everything."

Bobby's eyes went so wide that Sack thought they would pop out of his skull. "Jax allowed you to fuck Juice?"

"Yes," Sack said, now panicking slightly. He had to clean this up before Bobby could use this as a reason to kick him out of the club. "He was all smiles about it, too. Well, he plows Juice all the time himself so I guess he could understand that I wanted to try him out."

At the murderous expression on Bobby’s face Sack suddenly had the feeling that he had just dug his grave deeper.

*   *   *   *   *

Jax was alarmed and vaguely puzzled when he walked into the clubhouse. He had just been neck-deep in an engine when Chibs had come and told him some shit was going down in the clubhouse. Jax had no idea what this could mean. It was just after noon and usually the club was busy with mechanic work at this hour – they had to appear legit, after all. Chibs had not given him any details, so Jax didn’t really know what to expect. When he entered the clubhouse he found it deserted except for the miserable-looking Half-Sack. He jumped up when he saw Jax. "I am so sorry, Jax. Bobby twisted my arm, there was nothing I could do."

The VP had barely enough time to be confused by this statement before Opie's voice called out to him from the Chapel. "In here, Jax."

Now certain that something serious had gone down, Jax quickly ditched his TM overalls and walked into Church properly dressed in his cut. The rest of the club was already there and looked at him when he entered. Jax noted that they seemed to be in very different moods. Opie smiled at him reassuringly and both Chibs and Happy looked pretty amused about something. In contrast, Bobby looked livid and Tig didn't seem much better. Clay was as inscrutable as ever while Piney seemed disgusted about something. Jax had no idea what to make of this one. He sat down and looked around expectantly. "What's going on? Something wrong with the guns? The Mayans making trouble?"

"Nothing like that," Clay said. "But Bobby wanted to talk about some...internal stuff."

Before Jax could figure out what the hell that was supposed to mean, Bobby had started talking. "Is it true, Jax? Are you fucking Juice?"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Jax asked more out of surprise than real denial.

"Oh, cut the bullshit, Jax," Bobby said. "I walked into the prospect fucking Juice today. When I questioned him he said he was only following your footsteps and that you have fucked the boy for days now. You want to tell me that he was lying?"

Jax considered his answer carefully. He could deny of course – Sack didn't have the standing with the club he had – but that would seriously screw up the prospect’s chances of joining the club and he doubted that Bobby would be fully convinced either. Besides, it would make him seem defensive and weak when he really had nothing to hide. No, the best way to play this would be offense. "No, he was telling the truth. I fuck Juice. Ope had him once, too."

He saw Opie actually blushing at this words which was hilarious. Piney looked even more put out then before. Clay was keeping his poker face on while both Bobby and Tig seemed even madder than before. He saw Bobby visually trying to compose himself. "I thought we had agreed that we would not fuck the boy."

"Technically, we only agreed that Jax would handle Juice and that everybody who has any kind of duty for him would have to consult him," Clay said, speaking for the first time. "If Jax has decided that the Rican’s first duty was to suck his dick, he certainly had the right to do so."

Now Bobby’s calm was vanishing completely. "Are you fucking kidding me, Jax? I thought you were sane enough to realize how fucked up this is! Where you just playing an angle? Trying to be the first to rape Juice?"

"I have no need to play any angles for that. And it was all consensual."

"Bullshit, you think he would dare to say no to you? The kid is probably messed up ten ways to Sunday and frightened we will carve him up the moment he fucks up."

"He offered, Bobby," Jax said. "He fucking offered. It came out of nowhere too. I was just talking about his tech duties and casually mentioned I was sore from training. Next thing I knew he was offering me a massage and when I accepted he pulled down my shorts halfway-in and..."

"Enough!" Piney said. "I don't want to hear this messed-up shit!" He gave Opie a withering stare. "I can’t believe you would do this to Donna."

Opie met his gaze head on, apparently too pissed to let this one slide. "Donna is gone. She took my kids and disappeared. I don't know if she ever comes back. Do you really expect me not to stray under these circumstances? Would you mind me getting my dick sucked by crow eater?"

"No, but this is different."

"Because Juice has a cock?" Jax asked. "Grow the fuck up, Piney. He gives better head than all the crow eaters combined, you can’t fault a guy for tapping that. Besides, nobody is forcing you to try him out."

When Piney did not reply, Jax turned back to Bobby. “It is good to see that you are looking out for Juice but trust me, he is fine and I am not forcing anything. The kid is one hundred percent into dick and I am giving him a very nice one."

"Subtle dick-bragging," Opie said. "I like it."

"You know me, Ope. I’m all about class and subtlety."

Everybody chuckled, even Bobby. Piney still looked like he was dying for a drink – though that was pretty much his default look these days – but didn't seem to have any further arguments.

"So what happens now with the boy?" Chibs asked when everyone had calmed down.

"Same deal as before," Jax said. "He fixes the tech and helps me out when I need him."

"Oh, so you still have dibs on him?" Tig asked, glowering at him.

Jax gave him a smile. "The vote still stands, does it?"

"I wanted him first," Tig said. "I only stood down because I thought you had cock-blocked everyone. But now that he is free-for-all I want my slice."

"He is not a goddam party pizza!" Bobby growled.

"Shut up, Elivs, he isn't more than a fucking crow eater and Jax has fucking tricked every one of us into not tapping him!"

Jax looked at Clay but the president only gave him an amused smile and made no move to intervene. "I didn't have any plans to trick anyone. It just happened."

"Good, then you should have no problem with giving me my share."

This was so fucking disrespectful that Jax could not let it slide. "Who the hell do you think you are talking to?" he roared. "I am your VP not the guy you get your whores from! It is not my job to get your dick wet and I certainly don't have to share anything with you! Let me be clear: Juice is off limits for you and you can find another hole to fuck. Shouldn’t be hard. Everybody knows you are not picky."

Tig looked stunned for a moment. Then an ugly expression spread on his face. "What's the matter, Jax? Boy got your head in circles and now you like him too much to share him? You wanna make him your old lady next?"

Jax held his gaze, a smile on his lips. "Oh, I don't mind sharing. I just don't like doing it with disrespectful assholes who think they will be rewarded for insubordination. Just accept that Juice is off limits for you, Tiggy. I am sure you will feel better after a good cry and a box of wine."

The sergeant looked ready to murder him for a moment but didn't make any move. Jax almost regretted that he didn't, it would be very satisfying to give the guy the smack down he deserved. And Jax was certain that the rest of the club was in his corner on this one. Only Clay could serious endanger his position but the president made no move to come to Tig's aid. At last, Chibs spoke. "You are both perverts anyway, doesn't matter who is the bigger one."

Jax laughed at that. "Maybe but I am better looking."

Tig wasn’t giving up yet, though. "How about a new vote? Give Juice over to the whole club. Free Jax up for other things."

"Subtle," Opie commented.

"This is my gig, Tig," Jax said, amused. "Get over it."

"All in favor of Tig's suggestion?" Clay asked. Nobody but Tig raised his hand. "Sorry, Tig."

"It’s okay," Tig said but Jax was pretty sure that it wasn't.

Good, it was about time that the guy learned that his place might be on Clay's right but beneath Jax. And if withholding Juice finally made him realize that Jax was his boss, it was worth the trouble. "Alright. Anything else?"

"Yes, actually," Clay said. "I wanted to discuss it this evening but now that we are all here: SAMTAZ is on their way to get their share of the money Alvarez gave us and want us provide some additional protection for the way back. Happy already volunteered and should be back on time but I would like one additional body. Any volunteers?"

Nobody said anything. Jax in generally wouldn’t mind a trip to Arizona but now wasn’t the right time. Abel would come home soon and somebody had to be there for him. Then Chibs spoke up. "I heard Kozik is on his way down. He probably doesn’t mind a trip further east."

Jax saw Tig’s jaw clench at Kozik’s name. He didn’t really know what the deal was with these two only that it had something to do with a dog – which was pretty disturbing given that Tig was involved. Whatever the reason, Tig hated Kozik more than anyone which made Kozik pretty cool in Jax’s book at the moment. "Works for me," Clay said. “This way we don’t tie anybody up. Reach out to him and set him up. I will give him a transport fee. Alright, then we are done for the moment. Jax, stay a while, I want to talk to you."

This seemed a bit ominous to Jax. Would Clay chew him out for going toe-to-toe with Tig? It was hard to say. Jax guessed he wanted Jax to appear strong but causing trouble over pussy was generally frowned upon and Jax guessed trouble over dick would be seen the same way. But he guessed he would know soon. Once everyone else was gone and the door was closed, Clay spoke. "So, I see you put the Rican to good use. Not that I am that surprised. Alvarez planted the idea and if there is one thing people deal badly with here it is temptation. And you gave up a lot of signs. Spending all this time with him? Going to his room and then coming late to Church? You might wanna work on hiding your crimes, son."

Jax gave a shrug. "I wasn’t really trying to hide anything. I just didn’t shout it from the rooftops."

Clay gave a chuckle. "If you say so."

Silence followed which Jax broke after a second of hesitation. "So you don't mind? Me tapping the Rican?"

"What, because I am old? I told everyone that I don't mind them trying out Juice and that includes you. I just hope you were doing the fucking. It would do for the SAMCRO VP to be fucked in the ass by some tiny brown stray."

Jax felt his face become bright-red. He didn’t get embarrassed often but discussing this kind of stuff with his step-father was too much for him. "I was on top."

"Good, keep it that way. I don’t want the SAMCRO VP to appear weak in any way. If you want to get fucked in the ass, do it on the down low. And maybe switch to Opie, this way it would at least be a brother."

"Noted," Jax said who doubted that it was possible to feel more embarrassed than he did at this moment. Time for a change of subject. "What's your opinion on the beef with Tig? I hope you don't mind us bumping head."

"Nah," Clay said, "He was disrespecting you and it is good you took him down a notch. Just don't escalate it too much. As long as you don’t kill each other, I’m good with that. Well, I best let you go to work again. I guess you soon will be busy dividing up Juice with the rest of the club."

"Any thoughts on that?"

"Use your discretion. But it might be good to give most of them a taste, makes them feel appreciated. Who knows, maybe I will try him out myself after all – I am just kidding, son," he added at the mortified expression on Jax's face.

Jax took this as his cue to leave and quickly got up. He probably would need at least three smokes to unwind after this conversation.

*   *   *   *   *

It took quite some time for Juice to work up the courage to get out of his room. When he finally did – hoping that most of the shit storm had passed –, he saw that the Sons were in the Chapel with Half-Sack lurking the main room. It was impossible to know what the members were discussing inside, especially since Juice didn’t really know what the problem was. Nobody had told him which rules Jax had set up for the others and what Sack had done to break them. He moved up to the prospect. "Hey. Are you okay?"

"Been better," Sack said, filling a shot with shaking hands and chugging it.

"What’s going on?"

"Bobby is a bit pissed that I tapped you."

"Why is that? Is he jealous? Or am I for members only?"

"Seems to be some beef between the members we got caught up in. Shit, that could be very bad."

"Relax," Juice said. "Jax will be on your side and he outranks Bobby. Not much the guy can do."

"He can do enough. The vote that makes me a full member has to be unanimous. If I piss anyone of them off too much, I can forget my top rocker. Than all this would have been a complete waste of time."

"I'm sorry," Juice said. "I didn't want to get you in trouble."

"It's okay. You didn't do anything wrong."

The Puerto Rican thought for a moment. "You think Jax is pissed at me?"

"Nah, you just did what he asked. Besides, I think he likes you. Probably you could get away with more stuff than I do."

Juice couldn't resist a joke. "Guess you should try sucking his dick then."

Half-Sack laughed. "Yeah, maybe. I guess I can use any favor I can get."

Before Juice could comment on that, the door opened and most of the club spilled out. There was no sign of Jax and Clay but all the others were there. Bobby immediately came walking to Juice and the Puerto Rican had the fight the impulse to flee at the intense impression on his face. Relax, he told himself, you did nothing wrong.

Half-Sack stepped forward. "Bobby, I..."

"Not now, Sack," Bobby said gruffly. "I need to talk to Juice."

The prospect lay down his head and slinked off to the side where Ope gave him a reassuring clap on the shoulder. Juice had time to appreciate the gesture before Bobby started talking. "I spoke to Jax. Is it true that you guys fucked?"

"Uhm, yes," Juice said, caught off guard by the question.

"He said you started it, that true?"

"Well, originally I just wanted to give him a massage. Get some good will from my new VP. But once I had him there half-naked and quivering under my touch, I got carried away." Juice gave a small smile. "Happens sometimes."

"I will have to take your word for it," Bobby said. "And Ope and Sack? That just happened as well?"

He saw Opie stiffen behind Bobby. "Ope was to do Jax a solid – and the guy really looked like he could use a lay – and Sack was good to me, I thought I would return the favor."

He could see that Bobby wasn't really comfortable with all these details but the guy did an admirable show at not showing his discomfort. And Juice appreciated his concern, he really did, but he knew that in the end it was useless. Even if he had a problem with sleeping with Jax, Ope or Sack – which he didn't – admitting it to Bobby would be an extremely risky move. He knew next to nothing about the internal power dynamic of the Sons but he was pretty certain that Bobby was not as powerful as Jax was. If Juice complained to him, the secretary would bump head with Jax and Juice would get hurt in the crossfire. Nothing good could come of that. No, he had to squash Bobby’s ambitions quickly. "I'm okay, Bobby, really. Well, I got a bit of headache from Ope bumping my head but otherwise I am fine. Jax was good to me, I got nothing to complain about."

"Alright," Bobby said. "But if anything happens, I want you to know you can come to me, alright?"

"Yeah, thanks," Juice said. Bobby nodded and started to move away. Sack engaged him. "So, everything is cool between us?"

"For the time," Bobby grunted, still seeming a bit disgruntled at Sack. The prospect looked relieved anyway and gave a quick nod. Over his shoulder Juice saw Jax leaving the Chapel, looking irritated and slightly red in the face. He wondered what was going on and surprised himself by going after the VP.

Immediately, Opie grabbed his arm. "Leave him. I think he needs some time alone."

Juice really would like to talk to Jax but he guessed Ope knew better. He was Jax’s best friend, after all, and truth be told, Juice didn't know the VP that well. "Okay."

"I want to talk to you for a bit. Sack, could you give us a minute?"

"Of course," the prospect said. "I need to get back to work anyway."

He left, leaving Juice alone with Ope. The other members had already left, probably to continue with their work and Clay was still in the Chapel, so they could talk undisturbed for the moment. Ope motioned for Juice to sit down at the bar and took a seat next to him "What's this about?" Juice asked, who tried not to feel worried. He was always nervous when talking to members on his own, a habit he had picked up during his time with the Mayans. Only Sack broke the pattern.

"I want to give you some advice," Opie said, lowering his voice. "And what I tell you has to stay between us. Don't even tell Jax, I don’t know if he wants you to know."

"I don't want to get into trouble," Juice said immediately.

"You won't. Trust me, Juice, you will want to hear this."

Juice really considered running for a moment but realized this would be a very bad idea. Ope could probably grab him and it would raise questions from the other members. And he really did not want to have any additional scrutiny this day. "Okay."

"Good." Opie paused. "It might be hard to notice from the outside but the club isn't the big dysfunctional family it tries to be. There are serious power plays at work here. Clay is feeling his age catch up to him and is trying to groom Jax to be his heir – something Jax probably wants more than anything else. It is a good fit and generally we are all behind him but there are concerns about him being too soft. Jax can’t tolerate it, if he wants to secure the gavel."

"What does this have to do with me?" Juice asked, not really seeing the connection.

"Let’s just say that Jax probably shouldn’t start going all dopey-eyed with you. He has to keep a certain distance and make sure nobody thinks you are his old lady. And I really hope that he didn't bottom for you."

Juice flushed. "No, I was the only one getting fucked. And he didn’t suck my dick or something.""

"That’s good, I guess. Not that I would have a problem with Jax taking it up the ass. Might make him a bit less cocky. But it wouldn’t be a very good message for the rest of the club, so you should probably keep it on the down low."

"So what exactly do you want from me?" Juice asked.

Opie grinned. "Apart from your mouth on my dick? That you give Jax some space and do your part. Jax likes you, he will keep you safe but you will have to do the same. Make sure nobody thinks you are his old lady. Don't push for more intimacy. Maybe fuck somebody else from time to time. It is just a temporary fix until the heat cools down. Just give Jax some time and let him do his thing, it will keep both of you safe."

This kind of logic was so fucked up it made Juice's stomach curl and he hated the fact that he could even understand it. Shit, he missed the time when he had lived with normal people. "Okay," he said, not that he had any choice.

"Good kid," Opie said, slapping him on the back. "I gotta get back to work."

"And here I thought your whole speech was just build up to ask for a blowjob," Juice said, making Opie laugh.

"I don't need any build up for that, I would just push you down and let you do your thing."

"Sounds like you."

"What can I say? I am passionate guy. But I really gotta go now before Clay has my ass."

He walked away, leaving Juice alone with his thoughts. He wasn’t sure if this latest development was a good sign or not. Apparently Jax had fought for him in some way but if he had to pull back now, this might leave Juice’s position more precarious than before. He didn't like the thought of that at all. But maybe he should just be happy that Jax apparently was willing to go toe-to-toe with his brothers for him. It could be just a power struggle but Juice guessed it was better than nothing. Maybe he could make his move soon. But what would this move be? Ask Jax to be his boyfriend? He doubted the VP would go for that. And he couldn't really claim that taking care of the others was a big burden when both Opie and Sack knew that he had enjoyed it. No, it had to come from Jax. The only way this would work was if Jax claimed his ass and ripped everyone to pieces that came close to it. But how would Juice provoke something like that?

"Lost in thoughts again?" Jax's voice said, startling him.

Juice turned and saw him standing behind him, now back in his TM overalls. "Sorry, didn't hear you come in."

"Just wanted to get a drink," Jax said, sitting down next to Juice and grabbed a bottle – water, interestingly.

"What was all this about?" Juice asked, while Jax filed his glass. "The meeting, I mean."

"Some misunderstanding about who was allowed to fuck you and who wasn't. I had to set a few people straight."

"Anything I need to know?"

Jax turned to look at him. "Just that Tig will have to go without you. I hope you weren't hoping to hook up with the guy."

"Tig? God, no. The guy creeps me out. Besides, you are more than enough for me."

Jax gave him a bright grin and put a hand on his neck, softly stroking his face. "Then you are in luck because I fully plan to fuck you through the mattress tonight."

Juice guessed was a good sign that Jax couldn’t keep his hands of him and was very happy when Jax moved even closer.

*  *   *   *   *

Tara left her car and walked briskly towards the TM proper. She had spent the last days thinking hard about her relationship with Jax and finally had to admit that she was hopelessly into this guy, regardless of the many very good reasons against dating him. She could try to ignore the feelings, of course, but she only had this life and it felt wrong to let go of such an opportunity. And she was certain that Jax could use her help, Wendy was in rehab and Gemma certainly wasn’t a good replacement for a mother. And she would be lying if she said that the thought of dating an outlaw didn’t excite her on a level that was totally inappropriate for her age and her profession. Of course, she couldn’t deny that being with Jax could very well be too exiting but she had to take the risk. Otherwise she would live her life forever asking herself what could have been. And the risk couldn't be that big. Jax had over a decade of experience in the club and was still here, healthy and without long jail time. And Gemma had been an old lady for over thirty years and seemed okay – not counting her obvious mental issues –, so Tara guessed she would be fine. Besides, walking away after Jax had helped her with Kohn didn’t feel right.

Long story short, she was willing to give it another shot. Of course, for this to work Jax had to still want her and she had her doubts about that. He had been pretty distant those last days not once reaching out to her. Had he already lost interest and hooked up with somebody else? It was very well possible, half of Charming wanted a piece of him and the crow eaters were always around. And he definitely ignored her when they had met at the hospital this morning which had made clear to her that this couldn’t wait anymore. So, here she was at TM in the middle of the day and looking for him. She could see several of the guys but not Jax. Maybe she had to ask someone. She could head up for the main office and ask Gemma but she really didn't want to talk to her at the moment. Since Opie wasn’t around either, she decided to ask Tig, who was working at a car with some of the non-member mechanics.

She approached. "Hey, I am looking for Jax. Do you know where he is?"

"Somewhere in the clubhouse," Tig replied, barely looking up from his work. "You can go in and have a look around."

"Thanks."

Now he focused on her and gave her a look she couldn’t really read. "You guys back together?"

"Um, that's actually what I am here to talk about," she said, unsure how the hell he knew about it.

Tig gave a chuckle. "Well, you should have a talk about his Puerto Rican boy toy then. But maybe you don't see it as cheating when it is with a guy."

"What does that mean?" Tara asked, completely nonplussed.

"Just ask Jax, I have better things to do than handle his love life."

He turned back to his work, leaving her confused and irritated. Had he actually just told her that Jax was gay now and fooling around with some Puerto Rican guy? Ridiculous. Was this his idea of a joke? It would be a very weird joke but Tig was supposed to be a weird guy, so maybe she shouldn’t be surprised. Anyway, the important thing was that she now knew where to look. She stepped inside the clubhouse and started looking for Jax. She found him at the bar sitting with a young slender guy with darker skin and big brown eyes. Mexican probably or Puerto Rican. Suddenly Tig's words were starting to make a whole lot more sense to her, especially since Jax chose this moment to bend forward and kiss the guy on his forehead. She stopped in her tracks. "Jax?"

The VP immediately drew back. His eyes darted to her and for a moment she thought she saw alarm there. "Tara? What are you doing here?"

"I came to talk to you. Could you tell me what is going on?" she gestured towards the Puerto Rican who looked politely puzzled by the situation.

"Ah, this is Juice. He is a...friend of the club."

"And now you fuck him?"

Jax looked surprised for a moment that laughed. "Because of the kiss? You know how we are here, all male bonding and shit."

He seemed amused by her silliness and did not look guilty at all. If Tig hadn’t said anything she never would have guessed something was amiss. "Oh, really? Then I guess Tig was lying when he said you were fucking a Puerto Rican boy toy now."

The change in both of their demeanors was obvious. Juice looked deeply troubled suddenly while Jax was obviously furious. "He said this?" he asked, his voice low and dangerous.

"Yes, when I said I wanted to talk to you,"

"I am going to kill this son of a bitch!" Jax growled, getting up from his chair.

"Wait!" Tara said. "Is it true?"

To her surprise she actually got Jax's attention. He stopped and looked at her, not saying anything. Not that he needed to, the way Juice was desperately trying to sink into the floor told her everything she needed to know. "Jesus Christ. You are gay now?"

"I am not gay," Jax said brusquely.

"Sure looks like it to me."

"Good thing then that is not your business who I screw."

"Oh, really?" she said, now starting to get angry herself. "Silly me, thinking we had something going."

"We had! Until you called for a pause because you got scared. Did you expect me to wait for you to get your head straight?"

"It was just a few days, Jax! So yes, I did expect you to not get your dick sucked by somebody else while I think things through. Especially not by some guy you picked up. Who is he anyway?"

"We saved Juice from the Mayans," Jax answered, grinding his teeth. She had the feeling that it wasn't smart getting him that defensive but she was too worked up to care. "He was grateful, one thing led to another."

"You saved him? What does that mean?"

"All you need to know is that he would probably be dead, if I wasn’t looking out for him."

"And this involved fucking him? Is this the way you look out for each other? You hook up with Opie too?"

"Enough!" Jax said, almost snarling now. "I had no idea if you would be back so don’t think you get a say in who I screw. What the hell was I supposed to think after your sudden change of heart? The most likely thing was that you take off again, now that you don’t need me anymore to take out your trash!"

She slapped him. She didn't really meant to but the idea of him thinking she was such a manipulative bitch was unbearable. He did not hit her back – at least not yet – but the fury on his face was so obvious that Tara was starting to get really scared.

"Ah, I see I come just in time," Tig said, standing at the doorway. "What's the matter, Jax? Tara not impressed with you fucking the Mayan cum rag?"

Tara had barely enough time to wonder about this before Jax snarled and pounced at the sergeant at arms, slugging the other member across the face without further explanation. Tig recovered quickly though and before long the two of them had an all-out brawl. Tara guessed that Jax had the upper hand though Tig gave nearly as well as he got. She wondered what she should do. This didn't look like a friendly fight to her, this was a serious brawl and the doctor in her squirmed at all the injuries that could erupt from it. Should she break it up? But how? She certainly could not go in the middle of the two. The only other person in the room was Juice and he was looking as scared as she felt. She would need some of the members, maybe Opie or Clay. Could she get them without getting too close to the brawl?

As if summoned by her thoughts, Clay emerged from the Chapel, looking furious. "What the hell is this? Break it up."

To Tara’s surprise, this actually worked. Jax – who had just wrestled his opponent to the ground – gave Tig one more punch to the face, before slowly getting back up and away from him. "Ask him," he said to Clay. "I need a smoke."

The VP grabbed his cigarettes from the bar and left the room without even looking at her.


	7. Sex & Violence

Juice used Jax’s departure as an excuse to get as far away from the scene of the fight as possible. It was pretty obvious that he was the reason for two confrontations this day, one of which had ended in blows. He could think of so many ways this could go wrong. Clay could blame him for the brawl, Tig could hurt him to get back to Jax or Jax could cut him out to appease his girlfriend. Hell, she could probably get him into trouble too, if she blamed him for stealing her man. Lots of reasons to avoid catching anyone’s attention for at least the next hours or so. He had more than enough to do with his tech anyway. His head was still pounding from time to time – his action with Sack seemed to have aggravated it – but he could work through the pain – he had quite a bit of experience with ignoring discomfort.

While working, he wondered what the events of today meant for him. Between Opie telling him that Jax might have to pull back for appearances and the VP’s girlfriend showing up, Juice couldn’t shake the feeling that trouble was heading his way. If Jax crawled back to this Tara woman, Juice could kiss his plan goodbye. The VP would either drop him completely or only fuck him when his woman wasn’t putting out. Neither situation was likely in giving him the protection he wanted. Maybe it was time to look for a contingency plan in case Jax didn't work out. Juice still doubted Ope was good choice, though, and Sack had even less sway in the club. Bobby maybe? He seemed like a good guy and it was possible that Juice wouldn't even need to fuck him to get on his good side. But how would Jax react on such a move? If he reacted badly, Juice could be very much screwed. He doubted many members could stand up the VP. Clay would have the power but Juice took the warnings about his wife very seriously. From the stories he had heard, Gemma wasn’t a woman he wanted to cross. Shit, this was all getting way too complicated! He wasn't cut out for this kind of scheming! Quickly he focused back on his work, trying to himself with something he understood.

He was just installing all necessary programs on the second machine and working on a Python script on the first when Chibs walked into the room. "Hey," Juice said, surprised by the Scot’s arrival. "What’s up?"

"I just finished patching up Tig."

"Is he going to be alright?" Juice asked. He didn't really care but it seemed like the right thing to say.

"Aye. Good thing Clay was there to break it up before Jackie could do any serious damage. The boy packs quite a punch, I wouldn’t want to get on his bad side."

This made two of them, Juice noted. "How is Jax?"

"Okay, I guess – at least he says so. Doesn’t want me to patch him up. He is outside with Ope, trying to fix a car. Which leaves only you."

"I'm okay," Juice sad immediately. "I wasn't in the fight."

"But I heard that Ope banged your head when he fucked you yesterday. He asked me to take a look at you."

Juice guessed that Chibs meant well and that it was better to be safe than sorry but he couldn’t help feeling apprehensive. The club doctor at the Mayans had been a massive piece of shit who had never done anything for Juice if he hadn't paid him back in either mouth or ass. Once Esai had taken him under his wing, things had gotten better – and he needed to get patched up far less often – but the old mistrust when it came to club doctors was hard to shake. But Juice guessed refusing wouldn’t do him much good either. "Okay."

"So, how is the head?"

"Not great but it could be worse. Still got a bit of headache but it seems to be better than yesterday"

"Probably nothing some painkillers won’t fix but I will have a look,” Chibs said. He motioned to the only chair in the room. "Sit down."

Juice did and let the Scot examine his head. He probably couldn't miss the massive lump on the back of Juice’s head.

"Good thing you have almost no hair," Chibs commented, "makes it easier to see." He gingerly touched the sore spot, making Juice grunt with pain. "It doesn't seem too bad though it is hard to be sure without an x-ray. Any signs of a concussion? Blurred sight? Difficulty forming words, anything like that?”

"No, it just hurts like a bitch," Juice said.

Chibs chuckled. "I don't doubt that. I think the best thing you can do is wait. I will get you some pain pills. Try to take it easy and not to bump your head anymore. I will tell the others not to work you too hard, if you need me to."

The Puerto Rican flushed at the thought of Chibs reminding everyone to not fuck him too roughly. "That’s not necessary.”

"Suit yourself," Chibs said. "Don’t go anywhere. I will check if I have some aspirin for you."

"Thanks," Juice said. Chibs nodded and left the workshop. Juice guessed it hadn’t been too bad. Maybe Chibs was harmless after all, scars or no scars. The Puerto Rican didn’t know if the guy really liked him or was just scared of Jax but probably either would do. The Mayans had only left him alone because they had been scared of Esai – or Alvarez – and it had given him the best time of his life.

He got up from his chair and just wanted to start putting some more parts together when Chibs came back throwing him a bottle of pills. "Found some Aspirin for you. Take two and you should be fine."

"Thank you," Juice said. He took two pills and washed them down with some water. His head felt better already, even if this was probably just a placebo effect. The pills couldn’t have kicked in that quickly. Then he noted Chibs watching him intently. "What?"

"You made quite a splash here, laddie. It is unusual for the guys to brawl over somebody – especially a guy."

"I'm sorry," Juice said lamely.

"Not your fault, Juicy. I think you just got caught up in the current beef between Tig and Jax. Though I guess having a pretty mouth doesn’t help keeping Tig away from you."

Juice felt a flush creeping up his cheeks. "I don't think anyone has ever told me I had a pretty mouth."

"Nay? Heard to believe after everything I have heard. Half-Sack is telling good things about that mouth of yours."

Juice looked down. He never had gotten used to other people talking about how good he was in bed. Maybe because it usually ended in him getting a dick shoved somewhere. "He has?"

"Aye. Boy zoned out all the time today. I told him to concentrate and he got all embarrassed and started babbling about Bobby being mean to him and you sucking his soul out through his dick in under a minute." He paused. "That true?"

"It took only one minute but his soul should still be where he left it," Juice commented, not sure how serious Chibs was.

"Hah, should have known that the guy was a quick-shooter," Chibs laughed. "Guess he fears he gets another nut blown off if he takes too long."

"It's not him," Juice said, feeling a bit protective of one of the few friends he had here. "It happens all the time with very different guys."

Chibs raised an eyebrow. "Aye? That some kind of hobby? Speed-blowing guys?"

"Came with the job," Juice said. "Nobody wanted to wait for his turn."

"Huh." Chibs looked thoughtful for a moment. "And you think you could make me come in under a minute?"

This was a dangerous question but Juice could not think of a lie that wouldn’t offend Chibs. "I guess. Providing all parts are still working, of course."

"Cheeky little guy," Chibs said. "Alright, I will put it up for the test."

He removed his shoes and started to unbutton his jeans. Juice began to realize that maybe this had been a wrong move. "Uh, you really want to do this?"

"Aye. I am usually not into this kind of thing but getting head is always nice. And after all the advertising I just have to know. And you better not chicken out now that I got my pants down.

He had a bit of a point here. Juice had gotten all cocky with him – too much time spent with both Jax and Half-Sack he guessed – and had lead him on. With the Mayans he never would have dared doing something like that. Maybe all his freedom was starting to go to his head, making him do stupid shit. Anyway, he had a half-naked member in front of him and needed to do something about this. Chickening out would probably be a bad move, so he guessed the only way was forward. A blowjob was nothing, after all. And it might help Jax, showing the others that they were not getting all love-eyed together. "Lose the jeans and boxers than. I can't blow you through fabric."

Chibs did, giving him a good view on his dick. Uncut, Juice noted, not surprising given the guy was Scottish. It was a better sight that he had expected. Chibs was much older than Jax or Sack but still in okay shape. And it wasn't like Alvarez had been much younger. The guy was already hard, Juice noted, which didn't really fit his talk about not being into guys. But whatever, everybody had some delusions. And he certainly wouldn't complain about him making his job easier. Chibs sat down on the chair and Juice dropped onto his knees in front of him. "You can start that clock now," he said, giving him a small smile. "And don’t hold back, you can come whenever you want."

"Jesus," Chibs said, the word ending in moan when Juice swallowed him down. The Puerto Rican followed the same steps that he had used with Sack – a quick pace, proper pressure some additional hand work – and it seemed to work wonders with the Scot as well. He definitely didn’t held back, moaning openly and once trying to grab his head before stopping himself – probably remembering the headache. A moment later he came in Juice’s mouth, just when the Puerto Rican had started playing with his balls. Juice dutifully swallowed, gently pulled back and got back on his feet. "How was that?"

"Fucking great," Chibs said, panting. "But I actually didn't look at the clock."

Juice laughed. "Of course you didn’t."

"Well, I just will have to take your word for you. And I should probably let you get back to work, before Jackie comes to check on you. I don’t want to patch myself up as well.

"You think he would mind?" Juice asked. Maybe there was hope for his plan, after all.

"Probably not but he is so amped up today that anything is possible. So watch your head around him. You don’t want to aggravate the injury."

Juice had the distinct feeling that his head wasn’t in danger. His ass probably wasn’t as lucky, though.

*   *   *   *   *

Jax did his best to repair some more cars this day even though he was so angry it was very hard to concentrate. Tara had stormed off after his smack down with Tig and Jax didn’t have the heart to go after her. It was probably just as well because he was way too amped up for it. He would probably end up digging his grave even deeper. The very violent thoughts regarding Tig that entered his head on a regular basis made it very clear that he was not in the most diplomatic mood at the moment. It was only fitting that he was working on the engines with an unnecessary force that was deeply unprofessional and would usually have him being reprimanded if anyone had dared to talk to him about it. Opie was gently stopping him from doing too much damage but otherwise everybody was keeping his distance. Sack showed up once asking if he could drive Juice shopping. Jax only gave a reassuring grunt and moved back to the task in front of him. He didn’t want to think too much about the Puerto Rican either.

When the shop closed, he retreated to the roof and started to burn through his second pack of cigarettes this day. It was way more than usual but it was a pretty stressful day. His left eye still throbbed from time to time – he knew that he had a sizable black eye from one of Tig’s right hooks – which did not help his mood. It had been totally worth it though, giving this asshole the smack down he so desperately seemed to need.

Opie found him when he was just smoking his third cigarette. If it had been anybody else Jax would have told him to get lost but he always had time for Ope. "Hey."

"Hey," Ope answered. He looked him up and down. "Are you sure you don’t want to let Chibs look you over? That eye looks pretty bad."

"I'm okay," Jax said and meant it. It was nothing serious and there wasn’t much Chibs could do anyways. And he was so used to being bruised from one brawl to the next that he didn't mind too much.

"Any plans on how you are going to handle Tara?"

"Not really. Depends on how much she knows. Did Tig spill all the beans to her? About how we got Juice?"

"No, he says he just told here you fucked him. Thank god for small favors, huh? If she knew about him being traded to us the Mayans she probably would have lost her head completely."

"Doesn’t' make it any less of a dick move," Jax commented.

"Yeah, Tig says it was a snap decision. That it won't happen again."

Jax snorted at this. He would have to handle this asshole and soon. Tig’s insubordination was really starting to grind his gear. When he didn’t spoke, Opie continued. "What are you gonna do about Tig?"

"Not sure yet, hopefully the smack down was enough to show him his goddam place. If he continues provoking me, I might have to go father but I hope it doesn’t come to that. Clay probably won’t appreciate a further escalation." He thought for moment. "I might have to continue fucking Juice just to rub Tig’s nose in it. Bet it will drive the guy nuts."

"Won’t this make it harder to make up with Tara?" Opie asked. "She probably won’t be thrilled if you continue to fuck the guy."

"I don’t know if I even have a shot there anymore. It is hard enough for her to tolerate the life, me straying with guys probably won’t make it any easier. I don’t know, I really have to talk to her about this. Maybe tomorrow I will know more. Until then, fucking Juice a bit more probably won’t hurt."

"I hope she doesn’t give him any shit. The poor guy has been through enough."

"Yeah, he has," Jax said quietly. "The Mayans messed him up good and when he finally had some peace, we ice his boyfriend in retaliation and Alvarez gives him to us as a chew toy. Depressing to even think about. Feels weird to even fuck him after all he has been through but he said it is okay. Even claims it helps with the loneliness"

"I hate to go all Bobby on you but are you sure the guy knows what's good for him?"

"No but what I am supposed to do? I can't read his fucking mind. If he says, it’s good, it's fine."

Ope grinned. "And the fact that he is great in the sack has nothing to do with it, right?"

"Course not," Jax said, grinning back.

They were quiet from a moment. In the silence, they could hear the others leaving below. They heard Tig saying goodbye to Chibs and Jax felt his jaw clench at the sound of the older member. Ever observant when it came to him, Opie noted his reaction immediately. "Relax, you made your point earlier."

"Maybe but I guess a reminder couldn't hurt."

"You have to let it go, Jax. Clay might be one your side on that one but I wouldn't push it too far. Nobody likes a guy who gets into a fight over pussy."

"Well, I already got into a fight over dick with him, so I guess I might as well go all the way," Jax said.

"Okay, I think you really have to unwind a bit."

"Maybe Juice can help..." Jax mused.

"No way, you are way too angry for that. You would probably beat the guy bloody. I have a better idea."

Jax gave him a puzzled look. Opie just grinned.

*   *   *   *   *

A short time after his check-up with Chibs, Half-Sack drove Juice out of town to spend the money Jax had given to him yesterday. The prospect was still obviously upset about the events of today and was unusually quiet. Juice considered saying something but he didn’t want to pry and focused on his shopping instead. The strange thing was that he didn't really know what to buy. He wasn't used to shopping for himself anymore. In his time with the Mayans, he had been barely allowed to leave the clubhouse and had usually gotten what he needed from the prospects. And once Esai had taken him under his wing, he had pretty much decided everything for Juice, including what he wore. As a result, most of Juice’s clothes were biker hand-me-downs and slightly too big for his small frame. Maybe he could start with this. And maybe a cheap smart phone. He hadn't really needed one in years – he had never left the Mayan clubhouse anyway and who would he want to call? – but now that he had a bit more freedom of movement it seemed good to have one, just in case. And he really wanted to see how good they had gotten over the years.

He got what he needed, only spending half of the money Jax had given him – he didn’t want to appear wasteful – and was on his way back in no time. Sack still seemed twisted up and Juice guessed he probably shouldn’t ignore it any longer. Maybe he could help.

"Are you okay?" Juice asked when they were on their way back to the clubhouse. "You seem nervous."

"Still going over this Bobby shit," Sack said, clutching the wheel. "And I think Chibs is now pissed at me as well. I was totally useless with the cars all day. My head wasn't in the game."

"Yeah, he mentioned something like that when he patched me up."

"Did he also tell you what I answered when he asked me what the damn problem was?"

"If I remember correctly it was something about me sucking your soul out through your dick."

Half-Sack flushed. "I'm so sorry, dude. I needed something to tell him and I couldn’t think of a lie fast enough."

"It’s fine," Juice said. "I’m used to this kind of stuff from the Mayans. And don’t worry about Chibs, he seemed more amused by it than anything. And I will do my best not to distract you anymore, if it helps."

"That will be hard with a dick like yours," Sack muttered, only slightly turning red at the thought. But he seemed better by the time they arrived back at the clubhouse. Sack was almost immediately ordered to get back to work on the cars. Juice, on the other hand, guessed he should get back to his duties. It wouldn’t do pissing off Jax by neglecting his tech duties. So he dropped his shopping in his room and went back to his work in the depths of his improvised workshop. He made good progress and in no time he was so focused on his work that he barely noticed anything else. It took him almost fifteen minutes to realize that somebody – probably Bobby – had brought him food and even then he continued working during the meal. When he was satisfied with his progress he saw that almost two hours had passed. Huh, time really flew by when you were having fun. He wondered where Jax was. The garage should be closed by now, so the VP was probably off-work. Come to think of it, he didn't really know where anyone was. Maybe he should have a look around, just to be safe. And he could work out a bit. Jax liked him ripped, so he would be ripped.

The clubhouse seemed deserted – apparently even the Sons did not party every night – but when he walked back out, he heard noises from the training area. He moved closer to have a look and stopped dead. It was Jax and Opie, apparently releasing tension in some kind of boxing match. Both were sweaty and stripped to the waist and Juice definitely could appreciate the view. This was the second brawl Jax was in this day but the two fights couldn't have been more different. The fight against Tig had been nasty and serious, this one was much more playful and restrained.

"Hey, Jax," Opie shouted, who unlike Jax was facing Juice. "Seems like your boy toy likes the view."

Jax turned his head for a moment and grinned at Juice before having to focus back on the fight to stop Ope from hitting him. "Doesn't surprise me, he likes pretty much every part of me."

Juice felt himself flush at the words but doubted that anyone noted. "Maybe, I should go," he murmured.

"Stick around," Jax said, "we are almost done and I have work for you."

Juice nodded obediently and sat down at a nearby table to watch the fight. It was a pretty good one. He guessed that both Ope and Jax were holding back but they still seemed like good boxers. He was especially surprised at how quick Opie was. He hadn't expected this level of deftness from such a big guy. Another reason never to get in a fight with him. Jax seemed to be able to hold his own, though, and the fight ended in a tie – though Juice couldn't say what the signal for the end was. Both Ope and Jax were panting heavily and drenched in sweat but seemed happy when they climbed out of the ring. "This was a great idea," Jax said, grabbing a water bottle from the table next to Juice.

"I guess you are better now?" Opie asked, doing a good show at not looking too pleased with himself.

"Yeah, only one thing is missing. On your feet, Juice."

Juice obliged. "What do you need?"

Jax grinned and kissed him. He was very motivated and soon was openly making out with Juice in front of Opie. Juice was a bit embarrassed but obliged anyway.

"I will take a shower," the VP said when they parted.

"Okay?" Juice asked, nonplussed.

"I want you to join me."

Oh, oh! Okay, he could get behind this. "Okay."

Opie snorted. "Figures. I will take off, unless you need me."

"I don't think the shower is big enough for that, Ope," Jax said. "And tonight I will need Juice all for myself."

"Alright, you guys have fun. I hope the boy can walk tomorrow," Ope said. He grabbed his shirt and walked away.

Jax didn’t waste any more time. He grabbed Juice and threw him over his shoulder. Juice gasped but did not struggle as Jax carried him back into the clubhouse. The VP sat Juice down in the Puerto Rican’s room and started to unbuckle his own belt. "Get naked," he said to Juice. "I don't want to wash my own back."

The thought of getting into the shower with Jax exited Juice more than he liked to admit. He started to take his own clothes off as fast as he could but Jax naturally beat him to it, having already stripped for the fight. When he finally had his boxers off Jax was already in the bathroom and had turned on the shower. Juice quickly followed. He was already pretty turned on and the sight of the now naked and sweaty Jax standing right in front of him motived him further. He moved up to Jax who was patiently waiting for the water to heat. The VP glanced at Juice’s erection and gave him a most infuriating smile. "Eager, I see."

His own cock was only semi-erect. The foreskin had started to pull back and exposed just a bit of the head for Juice to admire. Shit, how could the guy not be rock-hard by now? Well, never mind, he would think about that later. He moved closer to Jax and bent up to kiss him. The VP responded and the one hand that wasn’t checking the water temperature wrapped itself around Juice's cock, giving him tortuously slow strokes. Juice whimpered openly, not caring how pathetic it probably sounded. He rested his head against Jax's shoulder, letting the VP carefully work him over. He nuzzled at the skin there, tasting the cooling sweat on it. "You know," Jax said, "I could probably make you come just like that. All slow strokes, gently bringing you to closer to the end until you beg me to come."

"Please don't," Juice whimpered. "I need more, Jax, please."

Jax chuckled. "Alright. I think the water should be ready. Get in."

Juice did and the VP quickly followed him. The warm water rained down on them and with Jax pressed to his front Juice felt he was now getting almost too much stimulation. Especially since Jax's hand still hovered between his legs and was now teasing his balls. Okay, this was enough. He wanted to get really busy before his balls exploded. And the first step was to get Jax fully hard. Juice reached out and gently pulled Jax's foreskin back and forth. Soon they were both rock-hard and grinding against each other, both trying to get as much contact as they possibly could. Then Jax gently tried to push Juice down. The Puerto Rican got the hint of course but it would be nice to tease. "Something you need, VP?"

"Your mouth on my dick," Jax breathed, now slightly flushed.

Juice grinned and dropped to his knees. The shower floor wasn't really comfortable but he liked the feeling of the water droplets falling on his head. He took as much of Jax's dick in his mouth as he could and started giving the VP what he wanted. As payback for all of Jax’s earlier teasing he made his rhythm torturously slow, giving Jax just enough of pleasure to make him squirm. His one hand wandered to Jax's balls which he really had neglected until now. They were nice size, plump and heavy. Juice thought he could feel them pulsing under his grip. "Holy shit," Jax groaned form above him. "Stop fucking teasing, Juice."

Juice smiled and took him out of his mouth for a moment. "If I start getting serious, you will come down my throat in less than a minute. You sure that’s what you want VP?"

Jax pondered this for a moment. "Nah, I have a different idea. Get back up."

This surprised Juice, he had expected for Jax to go for it. He got back on his feet and watched Jax turn off the water and grabbing the shower gel. "We are here to get clean, after all. Do your job and soap me up."

"Okay," Juice said a bit surprised by the turn of event. He squeezed quite a bit of soap on his hands. "Where should I start?"

"Right here," Jax said, grabbing one of Juice’s hands and putting it on his still rock-hard cock. "And use a lot. For your own sake."

Shit, he wanted to do that? Here? That was...pretty kinky actually. And probably a bad idea but it was way too hot to ignore. So he reached out and lathered Jax, taking care to make it as enjoyable for him as possible. "Jesus, Juice. Hurry up before I come in your hands."

Juice actually liked this idea but he needed some pleasure as well and had not patience for Jax to get it back up. So he released Jax, turned around and faced the wall. "Time for you to do my back, VP."

In no time, he felt Jax soap-slicked fingers closing in on his hole. Despite the less than ideal lubricant, they slipped in easily, stretching him for what was to come. Juice guessed this could work after all, some patient preparation and a lot of shower gel and he should be fine. Unfortunately, Jax seemed to be too impatient for that. He moved in behind Juice, distracted the Puerto Rican with some light kisses behind his ear and started to slip inside. Juice gave a groan. He instinctively wanted to move away from the intrusion but Jax held him tight and pressed him back onto the aching flesh moving into him. It was definitely painful but soon Jax was deep inside of him and the discomfort started to fade.

"Are you alright?" Jax muttered, so close to him that Juice’s entire backside was in contact with the VP.

"I guess," Juice said. "You can move, I think."

Jax did. He used slower and shallower thrusts than usual but that was fine with Juice. Between the dick in his ass, Jax’s mouth on his neck and the VP’s body pressing against his own he had more than enough stimulation. And he definitely wasn't quiet about it either. One of Jax's hands wandered forward and started stroking him, drawing breathless moans from him. "You can whenever you want, Juice," Jax said. "All over my hand if you need to."

Juice was grateful for this because he couldn’t have hold on much longer anyway. When Jax jerked him a bit faster, it send Juice over the edge, making him come all over Jax's fingers. The VP sped up his own thrusts and pressed Juice roughly against the wall, all moderation forgotten. Now Juice felt like he was getting way too much simulation and it was starting to get really uncomfortable but he couldn’t really protest at this point. Luckily Jax went limp against him not much later. Juice could feel the VP's seed inside of him and knew Jax had reached his peak as well. "Damn," Jax panted. "That was good."

"Yeah," Juice replied. Jax carefully slipped out of him – Juice winced at the movement – and stood back for a bit.

"You okay there?" the VP asked. "I think I got a bit rough."

"I'm fine," Juice said. His ass seemed a bit sore but he guessed it would pass.

He turned around and Jax pulled him into another kiss. They made out slowly for the time and Juice was beginning to wonder if he could handle a second round. Then Jax turned up the water again. "Let’s get cleaned up. And this time, I really need you to wash my back."


	8. Turning Point

The next morning, Juice woke much slower than usual, drifting in and out of sleep. He was not sure what was real and was not, fragments of his dreams mixing with fleeing images of his room. He was lying on his side and the bed beneath him was for some reason harder and warmer than usual. It also seemed to move slightly, something Juice couldn't quite make sense of in his sleep-addled state. He shifted a bit to get more comfortable and when his hand brushed something that felt like hair, it became obvious that something wasn't right here. He forced himself to open his eyes – which was harder than it sounded since he was so comfortable and sleepy – and blinked in surprise when he looked up at Jax's face. He needed a few moments before this made sense to him: He was lying on his side cuddled into the VP who was flat on his back and still asleep. His one hand was hugging Juice closer and was placed precariously low on Juice’s back. In contrast, the Puerto Rican’s hand had wandered down Jax's chest and had now almost reached the guy's soft cock which explained the hair he had felt earlier.

Juice instinctively moved his hand a bit upward. This seemed to stir Jax who pulled Juice even closer. Juice felt his heart melt a bit. He hadn't felt this intimate with somebody since Esai had been killed and he could imagine staying like this forever. There were still a million questions concerning their relationship and the specter of Tara hovering over them but Juice would worry about that later. For now, he could just enjoy the feeling.

Speaking of stuff to enjoy, there was a whole naked Jax just a few centimeters away from him and now that Juice was up and about, not doing anything with the VP seemed like a total waste. Maybe Jax would like getting woken up by a blowjob? Esai definitely had. The problem was that Jax held him so tightly he could barely move. Only one of his arms was free and the Puerto Rican guessed he could reach the guy's cock if he needed to. Hm, maybe this was a good start. He reached out and carefully touched the organ. He very gently peeled the foreskin back – when Jax was limp, it just barely covered the tip, a very neat look in Juice's opinion –, revealing the pink glans beneath. He wished he could taste it but he couldn't break free without waking Jax and that would ruin the whole point. So his hand would have to do for the moment. He stroked Jax a bit, getting the VP’s dick rock hard in no time. Jax gave a groan and slightly changed his position, his grip on Juice weakening. The Puerto Rican took the opportunity to gently free himself. He got up and quickly moved between Jax’s legs before the VP could wake up fully. He mouthed at Jax's balls for a moment – he really had to give these guys some more attention just like he had to have another look at Jax’s ass – before swallowing Jax down in one go. He moved very slowly, wanting to tease Jax back into consciousness rather than waking him up immediately.

He guessed it was doing a good job at that because it took quite some time for Jax to stir.

"Jesus Christ," the VP said, look down at him with bleary eyes. "Get me off, Juice."

He settled back, closing his eyes again. Juice usually would be offended by his lack of interest but he cut the guy some slack for having just woken up. Besides, Little Jax made it quite clear that the VP still was invested in some ways. And he guessed Jax would soon by fully awake one way the other. He resumed his work, now with a much faster pace. Jax had told him to get him off, after all. Juice was interested to see if he could keep his one-minute-benchmark with Jax as well. He had almost reached sixty seconds in his head when Jax gave a moan and came in his mouth. Juice swallowed, released Jax and had another short look at the very appealing cock before crawling up to the tired-looking Jax. The VP gave him a lazy grin, so Juice moved closer and started making out with him. He was now hard himself, his cock pressing into Jax’s side. "Nice touch with the blowjob," Jax murmured. "Best way to wake up, I guess."

"I live to please."

Jax pulled him closer, snuggling with him again. "Sorry, I dosed off on you yesterday. It was a long day and I guess I was just too comfortable here."

"That's okay," Juice said. It had been more than awkward when Jax had fallen asleep next to him after a follow-up session last night – which they had started only minutes after getting dry again – but he had not been in any position to complain, despite Jax taking far more than his share of the bed. It had been to be this intimate with a guy once again, especially since Jax got very touchy feely in his sleep. In the end he had just settled his head on Jax's chest and gone too sleep rather than waking the guy. For now, it seemed like that had been a good idea. "It was nice."

"That it was, especially the waking up," Jax said. "Maybe it is time to for me to pay you back."

He wrapped one hand around Juice’s dick once more, giving him the slow teasing strokes that always made Juice whine in pleasure. Jax was lazily making out with him, giving him just enough attention to keep him occupied and inching him steadily closer. Juice realized what Jax was doing: The teasing asshole wanted to make Juice beg for it and this just after Juice had woken him with an awesome blowjob. Granted, it had been a pretty slow one but since Jax had slept through most of it, Juice didn’t think it counted as teasing. Maybe Jax disagreed and this was why he was jerking Juice off so slowly. Juice’s pride demanded that he silently endured but this was harder than expected when every jerk threatened to draw whines from him. The shit-eating grin on Jax’s face made it clear that the VP was very aware of his predicament. "Something you need, Juicy?"

"I’m okay," Juice said, still too proud to admit anything.

Jax’s grin became wider and he suddenly slowed down even more just when Juice was starting to get closer to his release. “What are you doing?” he blurted before he could stop himself.

"Thought you wanted it that way," Jax said with an expression that wasn’t fooling anyone.

"You know what I need, you teasing jerk," Juice said. When he realized what he had said, he froze. Had he really just called Jax a jerk? Shit, this could be very bad. But to his surprise, the VP took it in stride. He grinned and resumed stroking him, now faster and more insistent. It was exactly what Juice needed and now he didn’t care about the noises he made anymore. He came pathetically fast – but after all this teasing this could be expected –, spilling himself over Jax’s fingers and stomach. Jax pushed his semen-clad fingers into Juice’s mouth who hungrily licked them off. Ever obedient, he licked Jax’s stomach clean as well – something he always enjoyed, especially since Jax’s abs were a work of art. His ass was pretty great as well but Juice knew that it was pretty much off-limits. Maybe he could rim the guy one day. He finished his cleanup and snuggled into Jax again who had lay back and seemed to consider going back to sleep.

"The others will be here soon," Juice said to him. "You might want to get dressed before they see us together."

"I don’t care if they see us," Jax said, eyes half-closed but very much awake. "I’ve got nothing to hide."

"Won’t this appear weak to the others? Like you are going soft on me."

Jax opened his eyes. "You’ve been talking to Opie?"

"Uhm, maybe."

Jax grinned. "Of course. Nice of him to be worried but I don’t care what Tig thinks. And with you around I don’t think I will go soft anytime soon."

Juice groaned at the bad joke. They actually were both soft at the moment but he didn’t point it out to Jax. "You know the feeling when you wake up and just know it’s going to be a shitty day?" the VP asked.

"Yeah," Juice said. Most of his days with the Mayans – before Esai – had been such days.

"I just know shit is going to get ugly today," Jax mused darkly. "I got to handle Tig, work on cars, and take care of some club shit and whatever else is heading my way. And I have to check on Abel, this will be the hardest part."

"Why is that?" Juice asked. "You don’t like hospitals?"

"I don’t think anybody likes hospitals but that’s not it. Tara will probably be there and that will be awkward."

Now Juice also had the feeling that it would be a bad day. "I hate to ask this, Jax, but what does Tara mean to us? Because if you want to get back together with her, I don’t want stand in your way."

That was a lie, of course. He wanted to be Jax’s – whatever they were – and not just for protection. The VP was smoking hot and seemed like a nice guy – as nice as you could be as an outlaw VP, at least. Juice really didn’t have any better options. Jax pondered this for a moment and Juice hoped he had not overstepped. "I honestly don’t know. Tara and me are complicated, always have been. It’s all the old high school feelings crap bubbling up. Probably she won’t even talk to me or she will think I am gay and freeze me out for that. Hard to say at this point."

"And if you are getting back together?" Juice asked. He probably sounded really needy and had no idea if this was a good thing or not.

Jax’s gaze softened and he pulled Juice tighter. "Then I will have to figure it out. Maybe she is cool with me having you on the side – might take the pressure of her to give blowjobs. If not, I will have to make a decision. But don’t worry Juice, I will keep an eye out for you even if aren’t sucking me off. And with Ope, Sack and the others you probably won’t feel lonely."

Juice gave a forced smile. "Yeah, probably not."

*   *   *   *   *

Juice gave Jax some head start before showering himself – thoroughly regretting that they did not have the time to do it together. After get dressed he went outside to get some breakfast. Bobby was already busy making enough French Toast to feed a small army. Juice thought it was a miracle the Sons were mostly in-shape and was just getting started when Half-Sack joined him.

"Morning," the prospect said.

"Morning," Juice replied, putting down his new smart phone he had just played with. Sack sat down next to him and started eating, ignoring Bobby who was giving them a steady supply of new food but was not much of a talker when he was cooking.

"How is the work going?"

"Pretty good, I sat up almost all of the hardware and most of the configuration is now done automatically. I wrote a script that installs most of the necessary software without user interaction. I just have to start it and then can move on to something else."

Half-Sack looked awed. "I wish I could do that."

"It’s not that hard," Juice said meekly.

"You should do something with that," Sack said earnestly. "Maybe go to the Silicon Valley or something."

"That was the plan, once upon a time, but things didn’t work out this way. No idea if I am even good enough to keep up with people who didn't spend years on the run. And I highly doubt that working for outlaw MCs would look good on my resume, even if I managed to hide the computer crimes. But at least I would stand out from the other applicants."

Sack looked unusually solemn at that and Juice wished he would lighten up. It only made it harder for him if people took pity at him. Besides, he had been in much worse shape. Fortunately, the prospect changed the subject. "Do you like it?" he asked, pointing at the smart phone.

"Yeah, it’s great," Juice replied, grateful for the harmless topic. "They really made a lot of progress in the last years. I kinda want to write a custom rom for it."

Sack looked puzzled at this and before Juice had the time to tell him about Android development, he asked him something that wiped all thoughts of open source operating systems from his mind. "Did you call your family?"

Juice was stunned for a moment. "Would Jax even be cool with that?" he asked once he had somewhat recovered.

"I guess. As long as you do not give them any details. You should call them, dude. Might be good for them to hear from you."

Juice shrugged. "My mom has not heard from me for years. It’s better this way, just in case people are still looking for me in New York."

Sack looked heartbroken at that but Juice felt nothing. This part of him was dead for years.

"Shit, that's rough man." He thought for a moment. "How about your step-dad or half-brother, then? Do they know you are still alive?"

"Yeah, I reached out to Felix – my brother – once a few years back. Not really sure why I did it, I guess I just wanted to hear a friendly voice. He and his dad James live in Florida, so I figured I could reach out without putting them in danger. We always got along well, Felix and I, despite only sharing a mom. James was good to me too, pity it didn't work out between him and my mom. Maybe things could have played out differently."

"Call them, then," Sack said. "I am sure they would like to hear from you."

"Maybe," Juice mused. This wasn't a topic he liked to talk about. His childhood hadn't been great but it was still much better than all the fucked up shit that had happened in the last years. He avoided thinking about it most of days, fearing that if he looked back too much, he would see how fucked up he had become. He knew that Felix and James probably would be sympathetic but they seemed so wholesome, so much like a perfect family – as far as being a single dad went – that he felt dirty in comparison. It was fucked up and irrational but he felt like bringing this life to them would be unfair. To his credit, Sack did not press the issue.

He sighed. "I already know it will be a very busy day."

"How so?"

"Happy and a guy named Kozik will probably swing by later," Half-Sack said. "Guests always mean more work for me. I probably have to clean up after them, get them beer, fix their bikes or something."

The thought of Happy twisted Juice's stomach. The guy had always been creepy but since Juice knew what he had done, creepy had become terrifying. "Happy gives me the chills."

"Yeah, I know what your mean," Sack said, even if Juice doubted that. "Kinda strange that the guy is called Happy. Might be because of the smiley faces."

"Smiley faces?" Juice asked.

"Yeah, he got them tattooed on his stomach," Sack said. "I think he gets one for every hit he does for the club. At least, this is what Chibs has told me. Not sure if he was pulling my leg or not."

This sounded all too plausible to Juice. Shit, what kind of fucked up asshole was this guy? His shock must have shown on his face because Sack chuckled. "Relax, I will make sure that he doesn’t hurt you."

Juice snorted. "I think I would rather have Opie or Jax protecting me."

"Speaking of Jax, how are things between you guys?"

"Okay, I guess," Juice said, admiring Sack’s talent to ask difficult questions this early in the morning. "Not sure how things will play out with Tara but otherwise we are fine."

Sack hesitated for a moment and made sure Bobby was well out of earshot. "Do you have some time tonight? So we can talk."

"Does this talking include getting my dick in you?" Juice asked, smiling at the fierce blush on Sack’s face.

"Maybe," the prospect stammered.

"I would like to but I have to wait how things play out with Jax. We...got pretty close last night."

Sack leaned closer. "What does that mean? Are you in love with him?"

"I...I don't know," Juice said, looking down. "It definitely isn't just sex anymore, not to me at least. I thought it was but when I woke up in his arms today something changed. It was just so nice to rest my head on his chest, feeling his beard on my head, his arms on my….what?"

"Dude, you are so screwed," Sack said, grinning at him.

Juice smiled. Yeah, he guessed he was.

*   *   *   *   *

 Jax started work early this day and tried to keep his head as empty as possible. He was supposed to check on Abel after lunch and it was very likely that Tara would be there. He highly doubted the following conversation would be pleasant and tried to avoid thinking about it as much as possible. At least he was making good progress. He had neglected his mechanical work in the last days and he didn't want to have the others do his work for him – it would be bad for his reputation. When noon was almost upon them, he heard two motorcycles approaching. He looked up from the bike he was modding with Opie and saw Happy and Kozik arrive. "They are early," Opie commented. "Didn't expect them for a day."

"Probably they were closer than we thought," Jax mused. He watched Tig intently who was working a bit down the line and now looked at Kozik with open loathing on his face. An idea was starting to form in the VP’s head.

"What are you thinking about?" Opie asked. Jax didn’t answer and this was just as well because Opie seemed to figure it out on his own a few moments later. "Oh, no, Jax, you really shouldn't."

"He never apologized for what he did to me and Tara," Jax replied, still watching Tig like a hawk would watch a mouse. "I got to get him back for that."

"You did, just look at his face. You must be careful not to overdo it, brother. Clay will be pissed, if you and Tig turn everything into a dick-swinging contest."

"Clay won’t even know. Not like I will give the guy another beat down. No, it's a perfect move. It will drive him nuts but be subtle enough that Clay won't mind."

"Provided Kozik is interested in this kind of stuff," Opie pointed out.

Jax gave him a filthy grin. "Trust me, he will be. I will go set it up."

"The boy good with it?" Opie called after him.

"Course, he just complained about being lonely," Jax answered.

He watched his best friend shake his head and move on. Truth be told, he wasn't one hundred percent sure Juice was down for this. The guy had seemed pretty mushy this morning and Jax was sure something had shifted between them last night. He would be damned, if he knew what it was, though. Had his fun with Juice turned into a real thing over night? No, it was impossible. It couldn't be a real thing. He was the SAMCRO VP, he couldn’t make a guy his old lady! Nobody would take him seriously anymore! Besides, this opportunity was just too good to pass over. He moved to Kozik and Happy, a bright grin on his face. "Happy, Kozik. Good to see you guys. You can grab some tools and start working with the rest of us."

"Very funny, Jax," Kozik said which seemed to confuse Happy. He probably had thought that Jax was serious.

"Hard ride?" Jax asked.

"It was okay, no trouble except the heat," Kozik said. "Some beer and a decent lunch and I will be fine."

"Hap, you can tell Bobby to fix something up for you as well. The guy loves cooking, the more the merrier."

Happy nodded and went off to find Bobby. Jax used the opportunity to put a hand on Kozik's shoulder and steer the guy towards the clubhouse. He noticed Tig watching them very closely.

"If you want to unwind after the ride," Jax said, giving Kozik his best suggestive whisper, "I might have something for you. Brand-new, only just came around."

"Drugs?" Kozik asked, looking worried. "You know I can't take anything, Jax."

"Not drugs, just something to get your dick wet, release a little tension."

Kozik visibly relaxed at this. "You got a new crow eater? Where is she?"

"Who said anything about a she?" Jax said, a shit-eating grin on his face.

Kozik blinked at him. "Huh?"

Jax felt his grin become a bit wider. This could get interesting. "Come with me."

To his credit, Kozik followed him obediently despite the confusion he probably felt. Jax led him to the clubhouse and was positively surprised when he saw the Puerto Rican sitting at the bar, drinking some water. The boy had good timing. "Juice, get over here!"

Always obedient, Juice quickly joined them. "What's up?"

"This is Kozik, from our Takoma chapter. Kozik, this is Juice."

"Pleasure," Juice said, extending his hand.

Kozik shook hands with him but looked deeply confused about the situation. Then he spoke. "Come on, Jax, I am not falling for that! You are pulling some prank on me!"

"I am not," Jax said calmly. "You just have to take the plunge, brother. Trust me, it is worth it."

"Right and then Juice here will punch me in the face and you will laugh with Tiggy about me. Not buying it, Jackson." He turned to Juice. "What did you do to piss him off?"

"I don't understand," Juice said, "what did Jax want you to do?"

Jax gave Kozik no time to answer. "Jesus, Koz, I am not pulling any strings here. Just trying to do you a favor, man."

"You really expect me to believe that you, Jax Teller, Charming’s most eligible bachelor is fucking a guy now? When Juice here doesn’t even look gay."

Juice didn’t look offended by this – Jax guessed nobody really wanted to look gay – but this was starting to get annoying. "Fine, I will just show you."

He moved closer to Juice and kissed him. Juice took a moment then replied, apparently not minding the audience. Jax pushed him against the bar and started to slip his shirt over his head. He stopped and pulled back so he could pull it off, leaving Juice flushed, bare-chested and apparently very turned on. Kozik looked at him with a stunned expression on his face. "Shit."

"You believe me now?" Jax asked.

Kozik flushed at this. "Yeah but it is not for me. You guys have fun."

He moved away. Jax was disappointed that Kozik had not taken the bait but felt strangely relieved at the same time. The thought of somebody else getting busy with Juice now rubbed him the wrong way, even if it would drive Tig up the wall. And he did not like the implications of that very much. Then Juice got his attention with a truly needy whine. The VP quickly shut him up with another kiss. "I have to get some lunch and visit Abel," he said to the Puerto Rican. "But don’t worry. I will take care of you later."

Juice gave a vigorous nod and rested his forehead against Jax's for a moment. It was way too intimate but Jax liked it anyway. Maybe Juice was not the only one getting mushy.

*   *   *   *   *

Jax wolfed down some lunch – working through the rather queasy feeling in his stomach – then got on the way to St. Thomas. He dreaded the conversation with Tara and hated the fact that he did. He should not be afraid of speaking to a girl, no matter their history! Things would be so much easier if Tara was just another pussy. But she wasn’t and he really wanted things to work out between them. He had no idea how he would do that but he guessed he would just have to wait and see what happened.

When he arrived at St. Thomas he quickly made his way to Able who was asleep in his incubator. Jax had barely had time to have a good look at his son before he saw Tara coming straight at him. Shit, this was fast. "Hey," she said.

"Hey. How is he?"

"Good, you can take him home the day after tomorrow."

Jax smiled at this. He guessed everything would change when his son came home but he couldn't help looking forward to it. "That's great. Thanks for taking such good care of him."

"Not necessary." She hesitated for a moment. "I got to get back to work now, so..."

Jax was conflicted for a moment. He didn't really want to talk about what happened between them yesterday but her complete ignoring it couldn't be good either. Maybe she was waiting for him to say something. In this case, he probably had to, no matter how awkward it would be. Otherwise, the thing between them was already dead and Jax was not willing to let it die quite yet, Juice or no Juice. Though she better not make him apologize. "Don't you want to talk about yesterday?"

"Is there still something to talk about?" Tara asked. "You made it quite clear that we are finished."

"I never said anything like that!" Jax said, surprised by the notion.

"Maybe but you said more than enough yesterday which is actually pretty damn rich, considering you managed to stray after what? Two day pause? Three? I actually was surprised you dared to show up here."

Anger shot through Jax at her words but he managed to suppress his angry retort. Lashing out at Tara would only make this worse and she did have a bit of a point there. "Look, I'm sorry about what I said. I was embarrassed by you showing up and pissed at Tig."

"It's not just about how you worded it, Jax. Do you really think I would use you to get rid of Kohn and then dump you when I didn’t need you anymore? Do you really take me for that kind of woman?"

"I didn't know what to think. Might be Gemma or the life rubbing off on me. But you didn't really make things clear either. What was I supposed to think when you pulled back just after I handled Kohn?"

"I needed time to process the fact that we killed somebody," Tara said, her voice dropping to a whisper at the last words. "That shouldn't be surprising."

"Maybe not," Jax admitted. "Maybe I am just too callous to think about this. In that case I am sorry."

"I'm sorry too," Tara sighed. "I see how this might have felt for you. And I shouldn't have slapped you."

"You really shouldn't have," Jax said. He grinned. "But we can always kiss and make up. Though I think I deserve a blowjob for that."

She shook her head. "Sometimes I forget how cocky you can be."

"Must be my massive balls at work," Jax said, unable to resist the joke.

Tara chuckled. "They are not that big, Jax. Your main asset is a bit further up."

Jax grinned at her. "One more reason to slip into the nurse’s room."

"There is still the thing of you being suddenly into other guys," Tara said, bringing down Jax’s good mood again.

"It's not sudden, I have always swung both ways," Jax replied. He didn't like to talk about it but he guessed it was unavoidable now.

Tara’s eyes went wide. "Even when we were together all those years ago?"

"Yes."

"It is just so bizarre," she said. "I thought Tig was off his meds when he told me. Why didn't you say anything?"

Jax laughed mirthlessly. "Because having this conversation fifteen years ago would have been even more awkward than having them now."

She thought about that for a moment. "Did you cheat on me during back then?"

"No," Jax said firmly. It was perfectly true and he wasn't even using any 'it's not cheating if it is a guy' logic. "I would never do that, Tara."

"Except with Juice," she said, unable to keep the bitterness out of her voice.

"That’s not the same," Jax said, "we weren't together when I slept with him."

"Yes, we were."

"No, we were not!" Jax replied, not caring that this was starting to sound like and argument between two toddlers.

Tara sighed. "You know what, never mind. I want this here to work and I think I can let it go. But I have to be certain that you don’t suddenly decide you don’t want women anymore."

"Babe, that will never happen," Jax said, "I like pussy, you know I do. And even if I would decide to stick to dick only, the life would make this impossible. I am the SAMCRO VP, I can't be with another guy. Though having Ope as an old lady would be pretty funny."

Tara actually smiled at that which Jax guessed was a good sign. "Are we good, babe?"

"No yet," she asked. "We still have to talk about Juice."

"What about him?"

"That should be obvious, Jax. I don't want to be a third wheel."

"You wouldn't be. You would be my girlfriend, he would just be someone to release some tension from time to time. He isn’t a girl so you don’t have to be jealous."

"Oh? So this makes it okay? What would you think, if I started messing around with another girl?"

"That depends on whether I could watch or join in," Jax said, unable to keep the dirty grin off his face. "Both options are on the table with Juice by the way."

She shook her head. "You are a class act, Jackson Teller."

He grinned. "Part of the reason you want me."

"Maybe," she said. "But I don't want you enough to share you, Jax. Not with another girl, not with one of your club whores and also not with some guy someone left on your doorstep. You have to make a decision here."

Jax grimaced. This was what he had feared, having to decide between Tara and Juice. It was harder than expected. Tara was his first love and being with a woman would be much easier than shacking up with Juice. But while it may have been just sex with Juice at first, something had shifted between. Jax liked the little guy and abandoning him just like that felt wrong. But what choice did he have? If he let Tara go now, she would slip away and he would spend the rest of his life regretting not taking this chance. He had spent months lamenting it the last time they had broken up and he was not eager for a repeat. "I choose you, babe."

She smiled widely at that and kissed him. Jax kissed her back, his worries forgotten for a moment. "If you put out enough, that is," he added when they parted.

She playfully slapped his shoulder which only cracked up Jax more. "I have to go back to work," she said. "I will see you around."

"See you, babe," Jax said. His good move evaporated quickly when he watched Tara leave. Shit, he was such an asshole. Juice would be fucking devastated when he dumped him now. And he probably would pay the price as well. Just the thought of Juice's sad big eyes was hard to bear. But it had to be done, otherwise he would lose Tara. Damn, he would have to find something to at least dampen the pain. But how could he do that?

He looked at Abel who was still soundly asleep, ignorant of his father’s plight. Jax had to admit that he envied the little guy a bit at this moment.

*   *   *   *   *

After lunch and a short nap, Kozik stumbled out of the clubhouse, ignoring the stink-eye he got from Tig. The guy always was like this and by this time Kozik didn’t really care about it anymore. Though he had the impression that the guy was looking even more put out than usual. What the hell was his problem? Knowing Tig, it was probably an STD or something, God only knew who and what the guy fucked. Kozik spotted Happy and went over to him. They would meet up with a guy from SAMTAZ later and ship the money southeast. Kozik could have done with a bit more R&R here but he guessed it couldn’t be helped. He had agreed to help out SAMCRO, now he had to do his part.

Speaking of rest and relaxation, he was still a bit shaken by the unusual offer Jax had made him. What the hell did this mean? Did the guy think Kozik was gay or something? Was this an elaborate joke even with the making out? But Jax had seemed pretty serious and was not known as a prankster. Did he really fuck this Juice kid? Shit, the guy looked really young, was this even legal? And did he whore him out to the whole club? That couldn’t be good for Juice. Should he maybe say something to Clay? But surely Jax wouldn’t do something like that, especially not without Clay signing off on it.

"Are you alright?" Happy asked, jolting him out of his thoughts.

Kozik blinked and realized that he almost walked into the other man, too lost in thought to realize what he was doing. "Yeah, sorry, just thinking about something."

"Anything I can help with?"

Kozik wanted to say no but than a thought came him. Happy was here much more often than he was and wasn't SAMCRO. Maybe he knew what was going on with Juice and would answer some questions without it getting awkward. "Maybe. You know this Juice kid?"

"A bit."

"Jax just more or less just pimped out the guy. Told me that Juice would help me unwind from the journey."

Happy looked at him sharply. "He is sharing Juice around and I don't know anything about it?"

Kozik had no idea how to respond to that. "Uhm, I guess?"

"Damn," Happy said. "How much time until we have to leave?"

"An hour, I guess. Maybe one and a half if we cut it close."

"More than enough. You talk to Clay, get everything ready. I will go have a word with Juice."

He walked off before Kozik could say anything. He looked at the leaving Happy, puzzled and with the vague feeling that he had just screwed something up. And to make matters worse, he thought he saw Jax coming up.

*   *   *   *   *

Juice was just crawling on the floor of the workshop, trying to pry one of the desktops open. He thought he had finished all hardware work the day before but one USB port wasn’t working for some reason. Maybe he had misread the mainboard’s manual and screwed up the wiring. It probably wouldn't matter for anyone here – it was just one port out of four – but Juice was a perfectionist when it came to tech. He would just have a quick look at the mainboard and then...

His thought trailed off when somebody roughly seized him by the hips and drew him forth from beneath the table. He jerked in surprise and almost split his head open at the desk before he was pulled free. He turned his head and saw Happy who roughly pulled him to his feet. The guy looked pissed about something but he kinda always did so Juice wasn't sure if there actually was a problem.

"What’s going...?" He managed to get out before Happy kissed him, stifling his words. The kiss was rough and angry and had enough force to put Juice back against the desk behind him. Happy closed the distance immediately, not giving Juice a chance to twist out of his grip. "What are you doing?" he said when Happy finally broke the kiss.

"So good," Happy murmured and Juice was not sure if he had heard him. "I can't wait to fuck you. I will bend you over this desk and you will take it like the bitch that you are."

Now panic was starting to rise in Juice. "Did Jax sign off on this?"

"I got all the permission I need," Happy said. One arm was holding Juice in place while the other stripped off his own shirt - his cut was already missing. This gave Juice a full view of his upper chest which was a mess of tattoos. At first he could barely make anything out but then he noticed the smiley faces. His blood went cold. He knew that they meant. And there was one that looked raw and fresh. Esai. This was Esai. And now the same guy who had murdered Esai was feeling him up and wanting to fuck him. He couldn’t do it! Jax or no Jax, he couldn’t let this monster do whatever twisted thing he had in mind for him! "Get the hell away from me!" he snarled, trying to twist free.

Happy managed to stop him effortlessly but then Juice kicked out and managed to hit the guy right between the legs. Happy groaned in pain and suddenly Juice was free. He twisted away and started to run across the room, a snarling Happy not far behind him.

*   *   *   *   *

Jax’s thoughts were still in a jumble when he got back to TM. What would he do with Juice? After all the intimacy between them, he had the nasty feeling that pulling back now would hit Juice hard. Should he set him up with somebody else to smoothen the transition? But with whom? Ope had a family and would probably stop fucking Juice the moment Donna came back. Maybe Half-Sack would be a good choice, he and Juice seemed to get along well. Of course, this wouldn’t make it okay but it might help Juice not feeling abandoned.

Jax wondered if there might be political fallout as well. First of all, stopping to fuck Juice on Tara’s request might make him seem a bit pussy-whipped but he guessed he could handle that – most of the guys didn’t cheat on their old lady, after all. But what would happen to Juice? Would Tig get any stupid ideas once he knew Juice was available again? This could be very bad for Juice. Jax would have to make sure that everybody knew he was still protecting the Puerto Rican. Or would this make him seem petty now that he wasn’t fucking the guy anymore? Shit, this was fucking disaster. Of course, he could just fuck Juice on the side but this would be a huge disrespect for Tara and with Tig sabotaging him it wouldn’t take long for her to find out. He sighed. He would have to give this a lot more thought. But first he should check on the guys and get some work done.

On his way to the clubhouse, Jax saw Kozik who also looked troubled about something. Maybe he regretted not trying out Juice. Though in hindsight, Jax guessed it was good that he hadn't. It would have made Jax look like an uncaring jerk and it would be hard enough to let Juice off easy as it was. He was just walking into the clubhouse when Juice sprinted at him, raw panic on his face. He collided with Jax who barely managed not to fall over.

"What the hell, Juice?" he asked. His anger evaporated immediately when he saw the haunted look on the Puerto Rican’s face. "What’s wrong?"

"He killed him, Jax," Juice said, looking completely deranged.

Before Jax could ask himself what this might mean, Happy came into view, shirtless and looking pretty pissed. Suddenly it all made sense. Shit, had the guy made a move on Juice? If yes, Jax could understand why this might be troubling for Juice.

"I didn't do anything," Happy said. "I just wanted to try him out, he lost his shit when I removed my shirt."

"It’s okay, Hap. Could you give us a minute?"

Happy nodded and left which seemed to calm Juice down at least somewhat. "I'm sorry, I couldn't help him out, Jax. When I saw his chest I just had to think of Esai and it was just too much." He sobbed. "I can't do this anymore. I don't want to be passed around like I was with the Mayans. I want you, Jax. Just you. Please."

He stepped closer and buried his head in Jax’s shirt. Sobs wrecked his body and Jax could feel his tears soaking into his clothes. He hugged Juice back, not knowing what to say.


	9. The Right Thing

Juice blinked and was surprised to find himself lying on his bed. The sun was falling in through the windows, making it very clear that it was not night. It rather looked like early afternoon to him. The other surprise was that he wasn't naked but rather dressed in his boxers and an undershirt. He hardly remembered a time when he had not slept in the nude – he liked it this way and it had made things easier in the past when somebody had come to his bed for some late-night loving. He felt groggy and could not explain how had gotten into bed at all. The last think he remembered was Happy feeling him up in the workshop and him freaking out over it. He thought he had run into Jax afterwards but wasn’t quite sure. Then it all went fuzzy. Shit, this couldn't be good. He had said something to Jax? How had the VP responded? Juice didn't felt injured in any way – not even his ass was sore – so he guessed it couldn't have been too bad. But what about the missing time? Had he slept for twenty-four hours and it was already the next day? Or had he just taken a nap and only a few hours had passed? But that didn't quite make sense either, since he never took naps.

"Feeling better?" a voice said next to him.

Juice turned he had and saw Half-Sack sitting in a chair in the corner of the room. "I think so. What happened?"

"Happy tried to get close to you," Sack said. "You didn't take it too well."

"I know that," Juice said, "but I can’t remember what happened afterwards. Care to fill me in?"

The prospect shrugged. "Only saw the end of it. You were a complete mess, sobbing in Jax’s arms like there was no tomorrow. He did his best to calm you but it didn’t really work. In the end, Chibs gave you something so you could sleep for a bit. It's been a few hours since then."

Juice felt himself go red with embarrassment. "Shit. Is Jax pissed?"

"I don't think so but it certainly worked him up. He cornered me afterwards and asked me all kinds of questions about you. I think he is really worried about you."

Juice guessed this was good news but he still felt mortified by the turn of events. "Do you know what I said to Jax?"

"Only bits and pieces. I think you didn't want to be shared around anymore. Wanted to be with him."

Shit. Juice had considered many different ways to make this move – his favorites had all involved a spent Jax in bed next to him – but this definitely hadn't been one of them. What would Jax do now that the genie was out of the bottle? Would he be with him? Somehow Juice doubted that, considering that the VP had sent Sack to keep watch over him instead of doing it himself. Maybe this wasn't fair – Jax was a busy man, after all – but this was how he felt. He sat up in bed. "I have to talk to Jax."

"You should take it easy," Sack said and a sudden dizzy spell made it clear that he had a point there. "He is not here anyway."

"Where is he?"

Sack shrugged. "Not sure. I saw him talking to Opie, both looking pretty serious. Than they took off, I don't know where to. He just told me to keep an eye on you. He said you should take it easy and that you will talk tonight."

This took Juice by surprise. It seemed like Jax had something in motion but he had no idea what this could be. Maybe he just needed to do some thinking. It seemed a bit ominous but he couldn’t do anything about it anyway. "Okay, I will see what happens."

Sack nodded. He looked strangely uncomfortable. "I'm sorry about what happened between you and Hap. I had no idea you were in such bad shape. Is there anything I can do?"

"I’m okay," Juice said even though he doubted anybody would believe that. He wasn’t even sure he believed it himself.

"I hope you didn’t feel the same way about what we did," Half-Sack continued. "I would never forgive myself, if I forced you to anything."

"You didn’t. I wanted it. I would probably still want it, if you were game."

"I don't think this would be a good idea. We don't know how Jax would react and I don’t want to end up like Tig. Besides, I don’t think you are thinking straight at the moment – no offense, Juice."

"None taken," Juice said automatically even though it bothered him. "I think I should get cleaned up and get some work done."

He stood up, pulled off his clothes – no point being modest in front of Sack – and walked over to the shower. He wasn’t sure if he was relieved or disappointed when the prospect did not join him.

*   *   *   *   *

Jax was surprised on how quickly he managed to get a meeting with Alvarez these days. Usually, Sons and Mayans only met to kill or beat each other but now all it took was a phone call to get a civil meeting with the Mayan president. Probably Alvarez wanted to do his best to keep the peace. They met at sundown halfway in a quiet spot near Lodi, making this neutral ground. Alvarez had his sergeant at arms with him and Opie was backing up Jax but apart from that they were on their own – surprisingly low-key for a Mayan/Sons meeting. Just as well, since Jax didn’t want an audience for what they were about to discuss.

"Jax, Opie," Alvarez said, shaking hands with them.

"Thanks for meeting on such short notice," Jax said. "I had the feeling that this couldn’t wait."

"Of course," Alvarez said. "What do you want to talk about?"

"Let’s discuss this in private," Jax said. It was more protocol than anything else but he also didn’t want too many Mayan ears listening to what he wanted to discuss. Alvarez nodded immediately. They left Opie and the Mayan a bit behind and went to talk below a tree.

"I wanted to talk about our peace deal," Jax continued. "There are some open questions."

Alvarez looked worried. "Has SAMTAZ pulled out of the arrangement?"

"No, we are looking good at that front. The money will be delivered to them soon and then any misgivings they might have should vanish. Your chapter has to do its part, of course. You should tell them to tread easy down south for some time and not rub the territory gain in SAMTAZ’s face."

"Of course, I already instructed them."

"Then there is the thing with Juice," Jax said, trying to keep his voice calm and neutral.

Alvarez raised an eyebrow. "What about him?"

"The guy seems a bit out of it, mentally disturbed or something. At first I thought he was just skittish but it seems to be a lot worse than I thought. You know anything about that?"

"He always was a nervous kid," Alvarez said. "It probably got worse when Esai died. If his behavior worries you, you should just ice him."

"Can't, he is too good with the tech and my guys have too much fun with him."

Alvarez grinned widely and slapped Jax on the shoulder. "Knew you guys would like it. He is quite a handful, isn't he?"

"He is," Jax said, trying not to bristle at the thought of Alvarez touching Juice, "great head."

"Great ass as well," Alvarez said, looking vaguely nostalgic.

"My point is," Jax said, "that I would like to keep him around for the time being. For that I need to know how bad the damage is but I don’t really know anything about him. So fill me in: Did you guys do anything that might have made him snap? Any things that set him off? Ways to keep him under control?"

Alvarez studied him for a moment, probably trying to figure out his angle. Jax kept his face expressionless, hoping he bought the story of him just being worried about his club. Then the Mayan started talking and as the story unfolded Jax had to use all his restrained not to punch him in the face. When Alvarez had finished, Jax felt sick to the stomach, especially since the Mayan president seemed to enjoy telling the story, as if it was a hilarious prank they had played on Juice. Jax had known some of the gory details, of course, but seeing them all together in a year-long phase of abuse was hard to bear. It was a small wonder that Juice was not completely crazy. "And in all this time Juice has never been a problem for you?"

"No, ese, the guy is harmless. You could let your whole club fuck him every night and he would not say a word. I don't think you have to be worried. And if he plays hard to get, just use some more force. He would never admit it but he likes it."

"Good to know," Jax said, thinking he had to get out of here soon before he did something stupid. "Just in case. Do you have anything more on Juice we could use as leverage in case he starts getting friendly with the law?"

Alvarez shook his head. "Passed it all over to you. But I would just put a bullet in the guy if I were worried about that. Nobody that would come looking for him anyway."

Jax gave a fake grin. "I could do that but I would really miss the morning blowjobs."

Alvarez grinned back. "That’s understandable. I miss his mouth too. Maybe I should have fucked him more when I had the chance. But I didn't want to step on Esai’s thing."

"Good thing my son is only a few weeks old," Jax joked. "Thanks for the help, Alvarez. I will see you around."

They shook hands and went back to their bikes. "Are you alright?" Opie said when the Mayans were out of earshot.

Jax shook his head. "It’s worse than I thought. Can’t go on like that."

"What do you want to do?"

"I already got a hunch. I think we will need a vote today."

*   *   *   *   *

Everybody walked on eggshells around Juice for the rest of the day and the Puerto Rican hated it. He wasn't that fragile, was he? Okay, he might have taken Happy's advances badly and had shown his hand to Jax sooner than he liked but he wasn't a basket case. At least, that was what he liked to think. But only yesterday he would have guessed that he could have sex with Happy without too much trouble. Sure, it would have been weird and the guy had always been terrifying but Juice had been in quite a few similar situations over the years and had not reacted this way. His strong reaction surprised him as much as anybody. What had happened? Had he gotten soft somehow? Had getting closer to Jax somehow broken down the barriers he needed in this life? Or was he just getting tired of being used? Or maybe he just saw what he had been for years now: A broken, lost boy who only hung on to what remained to his sanity out of spite and pure stubbornness. The thought made him deeply uncomfortable and he quickly focused on his work again. "I am okay," he whispered to himself. "I'm okay..."

He worked at a break-neck pace for hours only stopping to grab something to eat when the time came and avoiding everyone. From time to time he thought he saw someone checking on him from the corner of his eyes but he ignored them. Only Jax mattered and he would say something when he showed up. One time Juice went upstairs to get some water he thought he saw the Sons entering the Chapel but he didn't pay it much heed – they did it all the time. Somewhere close to dinnertime he had done all he could think off for the moment. Still restless, he went upstairs for a workout, again not meeting any of the guys.

He was just finishing his set of bench presses when he heard footsteps. He looked up and saw Jax approaching. He quickly put down the weight and straightened up. It was hard to guess the VP’s mood but he seemed rather solemn to Juice. "Hey," Jax said.

"Hey," Juice said, standing up. He was shirtless and suddenly wondered if he should put something on. But Jax would probably say something, if it bothered him. And maybe it would get Jax to fuck him which was something Juice could really need right now. Jax inside him, holding him close and telling him everything would be alright would be just what the doctor ordered. Shit, the thought alone was making him hard and this was not the right moment for that. "I'm sorry about earlier. I don’t really know what happened."

"I do now," Jax said. "I spoke to Alvarez."

This took Juice by surprise. "What about?"

"You. After seeing you like that I needed to know what happened to you back there so I can help you."

Juice’s mouth went dry. A lot of bad things had happened during his times with the Mayan, especially before Esai had taken a liking to him. He coped with it by not thinking about it too much and really did not like talking about it. Talking made it real and he did not want it to be real – well, at least not realer than it had to be. And he really did not want Jax to know all the many ways the Mayans had used him over the years. Nobody wanted something used-up. "I’m okay, Jax."

"After all Alvarez told me I doubt that," Jax said. There was pity in his eyes and Juice found it hard to bear. "Why didn’t you tell me?"

"I hate talking about it. And there wasn't any need, was it? Not like it was a secret what the Mayans used me for. I even told you about the ink."

"You did. I thought it was bad but it seems like it was nothing compared to what came before that."

The words brought tears to Juice’s eyes. Suddenly it was all back. The beatings when he misbehaved – or when somebody wanted to blow off some steam –, the constant fear and a dick inside of him at almost every waking moment – often many at the same time. He had only gotten peace late at night when everybody had passed out or in the mornings where everybody had been asleep or at work. Lunch time was when the first round started and the evenings he had spent pretty much naked and on his back. Several times, Alvarez had had to stop his guys from doing permanent damage. There had been a Mayan from another who had openly fantasized about cutting pieces out of him. He had debated between taking a finger, part of his ear or Juice’s foreskin – luckily the others had stopped him. "Shit, Jax."

The VP put a hand on his shoulder. "It's okay, you are safe now."

"Esai saved me from this," Juice said his voice thick with emotion. "It got a lot better when I only took care of him. When I was shipped off to you, I thought things would get back to where they had been only that it would now be white dick. I couldn't tell you shit, I didn't even know you. For all I knew, telling you would give you some new ideas."

"Why did you come onto me?" Jax asked. "I didn't expect you to do more than fixing our tech. If you hadn't made the first move, I never would have tapped you."

"I didn't know that," Juice said. "And even if you hadn't, do you think none of the others would have tried to? And what would have happened then? Would you have stopped them? Or would you let them share me around?"

Jax paused at this. "I might have done something if they had gotten too wild but to be honest I don't think I would have stopped it immediately. It would have been bad for my reputation in the club and I didn't know what you had been through."

"That's why I came onto you. I thought, if I could get close to you, you would protect me like Esai did. Having the VP as my protector would have made sure nobody carves me up or something."

"But by doing that you made me think you wanted to be fucked," Jax said thoughtfully. "And when I wanted to do Opie a good deed, I started sharing you around. And you wouldn’t dare to refuse me because I was your only hope."

Juice hung his head. "Never said it was a good plan."

"Can’t believe Bobby was right all along. He kept telling me you were just playing along with what you thought I wanted and I thought he was off his meds. I'm so sorry, Juice."

Juice looked up. "It's not your fault, Jax. I am glad we hooked up. The others got a bit much from time to time but it’s been a lot worse. No harm done. I'm okay."

"You are not," Jax said matter-of-factly. "Maybe better than can be expected given what you have been through but it is clear that you are not one hundred percent."

Juice would like to deny but felt that he couldn't. He felt more vulnerable than he had for a long time and wondered where Jax was going with this. "Maybe. But I will be. I just need some time to clear my head. Time with you."

Jax shook his head. "Being with me is not the answer, Juice. You are just trying to replicate the relationship you had with Esai which wasn't healthy either, just better than the alternatives. No, if you want to get your head straight, you have to get far away from all this. Make a fresh start without any MC baggage."

"You...you are sending me away?" Juice said, his voice shaking.

"I am giving you a new life. I will miss you more than I like to admit but it is the right thing to do. Once you are away from all this, you can start rebuilding your life."

Juice tried to wrap his head around this and failed. "I…you…where would I even go?"

"Funny you should ask this," Jax said, fishing a phone from his pocket. "I was pretty busy today. I just got a vote, approving you leaving us and destroying all evidence we have on you. And I already got somewhere in mind for you to go to. Sack gave me the idea and I got the number from your phone – which you really shouldn’t keep lying around like that."

He started dialing and put the phone to his ear. "It's me," he said after a moment. "I have him here for you."

He held out the phone for Juice to take. The Puerto Rican hesitated for a moment then picked it up. "Hello?"

"Is that you, Juan Carlos?" James said. At the sound of his step-father’s voice Juice started to cry again.

*   *   *   *   *

It was around noon at the next day that Juice said good-bye to everyone. He had barely slept the last night. He had cried quite a lot after – and during – his conversation with James and wasn’t even sure why. Even Jax had been hard-pressed to cheer him up. Juice had tried to have sex with him again but Jax had refused all his advances and had not given him more than a few cuddles and chaste kisses. Supposedly, this was not to mess him up any further but Juice suspected that Tara played a role in all this. Probably she had made Jax promise not to fuck Juice anymore. This had hurt more than he liked to admit – and it still stung quite a bit today – but he had to admit that the VP might have a point. How healthy could a relationship be that was born out of fear, scheming and the desire to replace the clearly-abusive-but-better-than-the-alternatives relationship with Esai? And now that had thought about it, Juice had to admit that maybe he was a bit screwed in the head after all. He had no idea what he was supposed to do about it but maybe he would figure something out once he was free of this place. Maybe some therapy? The thought did not appeal to him very much – he was pretty sure that therapists were quacks – but maybe it would help. Or he could try a normal relationship with somebody – maybe even a girl – where both partners were equal. It sounded boring and unrealistic at the moment but maybe it would work.

Well, he would cross this bridge when he get there – there being northern Florida where James and Felix lived. Leaving California behind triggered a lot of contradicting emotions in Juice and he found it difficult to just leave his whole live here behind like that which didn’t make sense since the life sucked but this was how he felt. If he had a choice, he probably wouldn't have the strength to make such a move but he did not kid himself into thinking that he had. Jax had made up his mind and apparently went toe-to-toe with some of his buddies for him – supposedly the vote to let him go yesterday had been pretty controversial –, he would not take no for an answer after that, especially since he was convinced he was doing the right thing. And maybe the VP was right about this but this didn’t make the departure any easier for Juice.

He looked around and saw the busy garage around him. He probably would never see this place and the people who worked here again. In the case of Tig or Happy this was more than fine with Juice, but he would miss most of the others.

"You look like the most lost puppy in the history of man," Opie's voice said to him. Juice had not noticed the big man approaching him.

"It's just weird, leaving this place. I haven’t quite wrapped my head around it."

Opie nodded. "I know you probably feel lost right now but Jax is looking out for you. He jumped through a lot of hoops and put his reputation in the club on the line to give you this fresh start. He wouldn’t do it, if he didn't think it was the right thing to do. And for the record, I think it is what you need as well."

"Doesn't make it any easier."

"The important things usually aren’t easy," Ope said and put one arm around him. "I will miss you, little guy. Take care of yourself."

"I will try," Juice said, doubting he could promise anything that went beyond that.

Opie looked around. "Speak of the devil."

"Keep your hands to yourself, Ope," Jax said, grinning. "Didn't you hear that Juice is off-limits now?"

"Just trying to cheer him up, bro. He seems to have trouble adjusting."

Jax's grin faded immediately and he looked worriedly to Juice. "That true?"

"Leaving this place is harder than I thought."

What he meant was 'leaving you' but he couldn’t say that, could he? Still, Jax seemed to catch his meaning. "I know the change is probably hard but I really think you need it. After all the damage the Mayans – and we – have done."

"I know," Juice said quietly. "And I will try, Jax."

"I wish the solution would be my dick in your ass but unfortunately it isn't."

"And Tara wouldn’t allow it," Juice said, unable to keep the bitterness out of his voice.

"If you really needed it, it wouldn't matter what Tara wants or not," Jax said. His voice was so earnest that Juice couldn't help but believe him. "But this would only screw you up further and make both our lives worse. Letting you go isn’t easy for me either but it is what’s best for both of us. I hope you can see that."

Juice blinked, realizing that they were tears in his eyes – shit he was crying all the time these days – and nodded, Jax pulled in him in a hug and pressed some kisses near his ear. "You can call any time. I asked James to keep me in the loop."

"Thanks, Jax," Juice said when they parted. "For everything."

The VP nodded. He took an envelope out of his pocket and gave it to Juice. Juice opened it and saw a stack of photographs. "Just a few keepsakes," Jax said. "Now let’s get you on the road. Half-Sack will bring you east. I would do it you myself but as VP I can’t just leave like this. Everyone! Say good-bye to Juice! Sack! Get the van ready."

There were a flurry of goodbyes – Tig and Happy both kept their distances but even Clay gave Juice a pat on the back – and then it was off to a new life.

*   *   *   *   *

Jax gave one last thrust and sent them both over the edge. Tara gasped underneath him, clutching his hand and kissing him so roughly he feared for his lips for a moment. Then the both stilled and Jax smiled at her. "You good, babe?"

She smiled back. "More than good."

Jax grinned and gently moved off her, not wanting to squash her. He went for his smokes and lit up. They were at his house with the newly-home Abel sleeping a few rooms away. Tara had come over after work supposedly to help him with the baby but things had turned into a different direction pretty soon – not that the VP minded. And they had come all the way without arguing, so Jax guessed they were good at the moment.

They had talked a bit more about the Kohn thing in the last days and it seemed like the worst of her fear had passed for the moment. It would probably flare up again if anybody starting digging into Kohn's disappearance but Jax was not too worried about that. He had hidden the body well and most people probably thought Kohn took off so he wouldn’t get arrested, creating a perfect explanation for his disappearance. Tara had not mentioned Juice again and Jax hoped they could keep it that way. She knew it was over and sharing more details would only hurt them both.

"What are you thinking about?" she asked.

Jax knew he should not answer this truthfully and was just making something up when he heard Abel scream from the next room. This was could get old very fast but for once he was glad for the distraction. "I will check on him, you stay here." he said, "I will be back soon."

He climbed out of bed and went to see his son. Abel calmed down almost immediately when Jax took him in his arms which made the VP wonder what the problem had been. Well, at least he hadn’t had to lie to Tara. The thought brought him to Juice. It had been almost a week since his departure and Jax knew that Sack was on his way back by now. From what Jax had heard, everything had gone smoothly on the run and Sack had told him that Juice had been warmly welcomed by what remained of his family. Jax hoped the little guy would get the help he needed there. He missed him but he knew it had had to be done. If he hadn't let him go, Juice would likely have gotten worse over time, especially once Jax stopped sleeping with him to keep Tara happy. Maybe things would have been different, if Tara had been good with sharing Jax but even then he doubted more dick was what Juice needed. A loving family seemed like a much better idea and while he didn’t really know the man, he thought James was a good guy. He had seemed really concerned about Juice, which was admirable given that he wasn't really his kid. He would get Juice the help the guy needed.

This might be wishful thinking but Jax pretty much had to believe after all he had given up for this to happen. Awesome blowjobs, for instance, but he could live with that. There were more serious consequences to consider. Getting Juice free had been easier than expected – Bobby's and Piney's opposition to any action with Juice had helped a lot with getting the votes – but Jax didn't delude himself into thinking there would be blowback. Tig was still pissed at him and Jax had given him one more reason to think he was too soft. Clay might think the same and the Mayans might take them for weak if they ever found out what happened to Juice. To make things worse, Jax had the impression that something was going down with Opie. Donna was supposedly back and now his best friend had fallen from the face of the earth and Jax doubted that it was to have lots of sex with his wife. He would have to look into it.

He glanced down and saw that Abel had fallen asleep against his chest. He smiled. If only everything was so easy.

*   *   *   *   *

Hundreds of miles away, Juice was just getting ready to sleep. It had been a strange week for him. The ride east with Sack had been uneventful with both of them brooding a lot. Juice wasn't sure what the prospect had thought about but he had spent most of the time contemplating his own state of mind. Was he as damaged as everybody thought now? If yes, what could he do about it? While he was able to find a few signs of the former, he had come pretty much empty on the latter. At night, he had tried to cuddle up to Half-Sack and get the guy to fuck him – or the other way around – but Sack seemed to have adapted Jax's line of thinking which pretty much boiled down to 'don't fuck Juice'. Which had been maddening at the time, though in hindsight Juice could understand why the guy might think this way – though this hadn't made it any less frustrating. He wasn’t even sure why this had been so important to him. Maybe it had been one last push for the 'solution' he had tried with Jax – getting one guy to use him rather than a lot of them – a plan which in hindsight was questionable at best. So maybe it was for the best even if he wondered how Sack would get fucked now that Juice wasn't around anymore.

Meeting James and Felix again had been good and had thrown him back years to better times. Both had changed of course, Felix now being college-aged – he was four years younger than Juice – and James being more grey than the last time Juice had seen his step-father. Juice knew that technically James wasn't related to him anymore but he had been his father for so long that it was hard to give up the thought. Both he and Felix had been very respectful and welcoming to him even if Juice knew that his appearance had to be a shock for them. They had last seem him as a scrawny kid, now he was a muscled guy with a Mohawk and lots of ink with questionable motifs. Juice wasn’t sure what Jax had told James about his last years. Felix only seemed to know that Juice had gotten into trouble for hacking and had spent a few years with less savory parts of society. James’ only reaction had been floating the idea of Juice seeing a therapist once he was ready and Juice was seriously taking this into consideration. He wasn’t sure what he would tell the therapist but maybe it would help. Felix had talked about getting him into college once he was better – Juice had graduated high school, after all – and Juice liked the idea. It would be something normal for a change.

Though as pleasant as his normal life was, he sometimes caught himself longing for what he had left behind in California – sometimes Esai, often the Sons. He took the photographs Jax had given him as a parting gift and started leafing through them. They showed pretty much everyone in the club – though Jax seemed to have removed any showing Tig and Happy –, one even featured Juice in the background – not that he had noticed that he was being photographed it at the time. His favorite showed a sweaty, shirtless Jax – Juice guessed it had been taken just after a fight – leaning against his bike with a lazy, slightly dazed grin on his face. Juice wasn't really sure who had taken this picture but he liked it very much. Not only because Jax was hot; his kind smile also reminded Juice of the good things the VP had done for him. Juice knew Jax had really cared about him, even if he had sent him away.

Maybe he should get some ink to remember him. A reaper on his arm might look good. Or maybe he could come back to Charming when he was feeling better and thank him in person. This would also be a good opportunity to give Sack the fuck Juice had promised him – or for another hook-up with Jax. The thought brought a smile on Juice’s face. He put the picture on his nightstand, stripped and went to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here we are guys, I hope you enjoyed the ride. It was without a doubt the most difficult fic for me to write but I think I got it right eventually. I knew I wanted Juice to get away from SAMCRO in the end, partly as a mirror to the ending of ‘Handling Juice’ and partly since it is probably the healthy choice. Since he really has no one to run to in canon, I gave him at least a somewhat healthy family with a loving step-father and –brother. I hope it isn’t too sappy.
> 
> I am going to take a break from fan fiction for the time being because I am really busy with work and original stories. I have, however, three more ideas that might turn into SoA fanfiction once I find the time: One is some prison Jax/Tara action, one a complete re-write of season seven and one a future fic which follows Abel. If you have a preference or have further suggestions just drop a review. As usual, check out my other works, if you haven’t already and feel free to add some Jax/Opie or Jax/Juice yourself, we can never have too much of those


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